Trump has a loyal following with bikers, who frequently attend his rallies, where they sometimes clash with Trump protesters. Reports since then have indicated the total was less and that Trump had yet to donate any of the money to veterans charities until this week when he gave his $1 million to the Marine Corps-Law Enforcement Foundation. More recently, Trump also had to answer questions about why he had not fulfilled a pledge to transfer $6 million to veterans’ causes after a nationally televised fundraiser in January.
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In a move to bolster support among veterans, Republican Donald Trump joined a leather-jacket-wearing, motorcycle-riding crowd in Washington on Sunday to honor fighters who served in foreign wars and advocate for those still missing in action. Trump touted, “No matter where I go, there’s bikers”.
The Rolling Thunder rally is one of the largest annual gatherings of bikers in the United States. McCain was a Navy pilot during the Vietnam War and was held for more than five years as a prisoner of war after his plane was shot down. “It’s been decimated”, Trump said. Some veterans said it was unclear when he was speaking.
Still, Bleich said he “adores” Trump overall and hopes he continues to learn as a politician. “He was a war hero because he was captured”.
“And when I got out of Vietnam, he donated to the Vietnam veterans right off the bat”, Lorenz added.
Trump himself avoided the draft through four student deferments and was later medically disqualified from service. Trump has refused to apologize to McCain outright.
Muller said Trump’s mocking comments about McCain’s service did not disqualify him from speaking at Rolling Thunder. And he was steadfast that the real estate mogul should apologize for his comments.
Trump angered veterans early in his presidential campaign when he criticized the military record of John McCain, the Arizona senator who was the Republican presidential nominee in 2008. “I don’t require any fix of that”, McCain said during an interview with CNN this month.
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Motorcyclists began their procession from the Pentagon, crossed the Potomac River and rode around the National Mall, ending up at a rally by the Reflecting Pool in front of the Lincoln Memorial.
