Cars, dump trucks and motorcycles draped in American flags, “Thin Blue Line” flags and Trump 2020 banners weaved through Edinburgh Thursday night.
From their open windows, cries of “Trump 2020,” “Four more years,” and “Keep America Great” rang out across town with an undercurrent of car and air horns.
A group of more than 200 supporters of President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence gathered at Whosoever Will Church, and drove around town in a roughly 80-vehicle parade, including a trip down U.S. 31 to Columbus and back.
Edinburgh and Johnson County supporters came to the rally clad in red, white and blue.
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Parade organizer Ashley Myers, of Edinburgh, was inspired by the Trump parade last weekend in Columbus. More than 200 vehicles participated in the Columbus parade at the city’s Mill Race Park, and a number of counter-protesters assembled at Columbus’ city hall, according to The Republic.
“It was neat to see everyone come together. Not just Trump, we are also supporting America,” Myers said.
She was impressed with the turnout for the event. Last Monday, days before the event, 60 people had already told her they would attend after the Johnson County GOP shared the event widely on social media. From that initial interest, the number continued to grow.
Myers’ only goal for the event was to have local Trump supporters come together with the common cause of supporting the president and his policies, she said.
Many brought family, friends and pets along the for the parade, each with colorful reasons why they support the president.
Mike Childers and his wife Angie joined the parade with a truck full of family and friends. In the back, flags with messages of support for Trump flew. Riding among the flags, his son sat with friends and wore a shirt emblazoned with “Hidin’ from Biden.”
“I’m a big-time Trump supporter,” Childers said. “What’s not to like?”
Christi Salsman, who joined the parade on a motorcycle with her husband, Will, is proud to support Trump due to his recent peace deals in the Middle East and the Balkans, and because a plan is in place to bring some U.S. troops home.
“It is a different kind of year. We need somebody who can lead,” Salsman said. “He is keeping his word and bringing our troops home and making peace. I don’t see Democrats doing that.”
Trump and the Pentagon have called for 6,400 forces to be brought home from Germany, and a shift of about 5,600 troops to other countries in Europe, according to the Associated Press. The future of the plan is uncertain as it relies on support and funding from Congress.
The peace agreement between Israel and United Arab Emirates cements an informal alliance of the two countries against Iran, according to the AP. Critics say the deal could pave the way for the UAE to acquire advanced U.S. weapons, while leaving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict intact.
Law and order was another popular theme among the participants. Richard Skaggs, a retired Johnson County sheriff’s deputy, supports Trump’s views on law and order, and attempts to maintain peace during the Black Lives Matter movement, he said.
“I hate the riots and they need to lock these people up. They’re nothing but criminals in my mind. They’re defeating whatever their message is by burning and looting. Everything got lost. Here in Johnson County, people don’t like it. They are tired of it.”
Others, such as Garry Henderson, support Trump’s character.
“He’s a man of his word; if he says he’s going to do something, he does it,” Henderson said.
Before the parade, they said a prayer for America and for Whosoever Will Church’s pastor, who was recently hospitalized, Myers said.
Edinburgh police patrolled during the parade in case of a disturbance or counter-protest, said Doyne Little, the town’s police chief.
No related incidents were reported, he said.
