While the nation watched counter protestors deal a blow to the alt-right movement at Washington, D.C.’s Unite the Right 2 last weekend, President Donald Trump was in New Jersey hanging out with a bunch of pot-bellied baby boomer motorcycle enthusiasts.
They call themselves the Bikers for Trump, and many people around the country who saw the photo of Trump pledging allegiance to the flag with graying men wearing knockoffs motorcycle vests (“cuts”) bearing patches that say things like “I Love Guns and Titties” and “USA Terrorist Hunter Permit” wondered who the hell these people are.
The answer is more complicated than you might expect.
Founded in 2015 by Chris Cox, a South Carolina chainsaw wood carving artist, Bikers for Trump is best described as a Donald Trump fan club, comprised largely of middle-aged and senior citizen motorcycle enthusiasts. Cox has grand ambitions for the group. He loves to go on cable news and sell the organization as a presidential security force, a political fundraising outfit, and a grassroots advocacy group.