Trump Unity Bridge

The Trump Unity Bridge, also known as the Presidential Trump Unity Bridge and Trump Mobile,[1] is a decorated float being driven by a Michigan resident throughout the United States in support of President Donald Trump.[2][3] The float appeared at Trump's inauguration, the 2017 Women's March, and the Mother of All Rallies.

The "bridge" in Iowa City, August 2017

Description
The Trump Unity Bridge at the Mother of All Rallies, in Washington, D.C., September 2017
The trailer with the Washington Monument in the background, September 2017

The bridge is 50 feet (15 m) long, over 13 feet (4.0 m) tall, and weighs approximately 9,000 pounds (4,100 kg). To make it road mobile, the bridge was attached to a legally registered motorcycle trailer.[4] It features American flags, signage including six-foot-tall letters spelling "Trump", a carved wooden eagle, and a replica of the Statue of Liberty.[5][6][7]

The signs on the bridge include sayings such as "All Lives Matter", "American Culture", "Drain the swamp", "Hire American", and "Secure America's borders".[5][6]

History

Rob Cortis has owned the "bridge" since 1985.[4] The trailer was stolen from Cortis' home in Livonia, Michigan in December 2014, and recovered in Belleville.[8]

Cortis began driving the pro-Trump trailer in October 2016.[4] He drove 20,000 miles by January 2017,[9] and more than 40,000 miles by August 2017.[4] The float was vandalized in Alexandria, Virginia, en route to the Mother of All Rallies in Washington, D.C.[10][11]

In March 2019, the float made an unscheduled appearance at an interfaith vigil in downtown Cleveland, Ohio commemorating the victims of the Christchurch mosque shootings.[12]

Trump tour timeline
  • October–November 2016: Michigan; Ohio[8]
  • December 12, 2016: Cleveland, Ohio[13]
  • January 17, 2017: New York City, New York[14]
  • January 21, 2017: Washington, D.C., for the inauguration of Donald Trump and 2017 Women's March[15]
  • March 2017: Indianapolis, Indiana;[16] Ypsilanti Township, Michigan[17]
  • August 16, 2017: North Platte, Nebraska[18]
  • August 17, 2017: Lincoln, Nebraska[19]
  • August 18, 2017: Iowa City, Iowa[20][21]
  • September 15, 2017: Alexandria, Virginia[22]
  • September 16, 2017: Washington, D.C., for the Mother of All Rallies[23][24]
  • May 10, 2018: Elkhart, IN, outside of a Donald Trump and Mike Pence rally at North Side Middle School
  • July 4, 2018: Wyandotte, MI, Independence Day Parade
  • November 24, 2018: Livonia, MI, for the protest of the opening of a Planned Parenthood facility
  • July 13, 2019: Byron, MI, Byron Family Fun Day Parade
  • December 4, 2019: Holland, MI
  • April 15, 2020: Lansing, MI, for Operation Gridlock[25]
  • April 30, 2020: Lansing, MI, for an American Patriot Rally at the Michigan State Capitol
  • May 14, 2020: Lansing, MI, for an anti-lockdown protest at the Michigan State Capitol
  • May 18, 2020: Owosso, MI, for an anti-lockdown rally in support of barber and business owner Karl Manke
  • May 18, 2020: Grand Rapids, MI, for an American Patriot Rally at Rosa Parks Circle
  • Aug 4. 2020: Through Wisconsin

See also

References
  1. "A One Float Trump Parade in Times Square - Times Square Chronicles". t2conline.com.
  2. Dyke, Hunter (September 14, 2017). "On the road with Michigan's biggest Trump supporter". MLive.com. Advance Publications. Retrieved September 17, 2017.
  3. "Robert Cortis Brings the 30-Foot Long Trump "Unity Bridge" to CBS Radio". Detroit: WWJ-TV. Retrieved September 17, 2017.
  4. "Trump Unity Bridge to visit Dream Cruise". The Detroit News. August 18, 2017.
  5. Young, JoAnne; Minichiello, Susan (August 18, 2017). "Trump booster rolls his 'Unity Bridge' through streets of Lincoln". Lincoln Journal Star. Lee Enterprises. Retrieved September 19, 2017.
  6. Jordan, Erin (August 19, 2017). "Trump Unity Bridge float riles some in Iowa City". The Gazette. Cedar Rapids, Iowa: The Gazette Company. ISSN 1066-0291. Retrieved September 17, 2017.
  7. "Trump Unity Bridge catches Dream Cruisers' attention". The Detroit News. Digital First Media. ISSN 1055-2715.
  8. "Livonia Man Tours The Region With 30-Foot Long Trump 'Unity Bridge'". CBS Detroit. 2016-11-10. Retrieved 2017-09-20.
  9. Alfarone, Debra. "'Trump Unity Bridge' rolls into DC, causes a scene". WUSA9.com. Retrieved 2017-09-17.
  10. "Trump-supporting vehicle and trailer vandalized". The Detroit News.
  11. Ikonomova, Violet. "Vandals nearly destroy Trump Unity Bridge ahead of pro-Trump rally in Washington". Metro Times. Ferndale, Michigan.
  12. Deike, John. "'Trump supporter drives 'build the wall' float past New Zealand mourners at Cleveland City Hall'". Cleveland19.com. Retrieved 2019-03-16.
  13. Cleveland 19 Digital Team (December 12, 2016). "Have you seen the Presidential Trump Unity Bridge driving around Cleveland?". Retrieved 2017-10-20.
  14. Blades, Erik (2017-01-17). "This dedicated Trump supporter couldn't wait for inauguration day". New York Post. Retrieved 2017-10-20.
  15. Eisler, Peter; Fares, Melissa; Volz, Dustin (2017-01-20). "Conflicted U.S. capital prepares to host Trump's inauguration". Reuters. Retrieved 2017-10-20.
  16. "Man drives 'Trump Unity Bridge' though Indy". RTV6. 2017-03-20. Retrieved 2017-10-20.
  17. Stanton, Ryan (2017-03-15). "Trump protesters clash with supporters at president's Michigan visit". MLive Media Group. Retrieved 2017-10-20.
  18. Porterville, Mason (2017-08-16). "Trump Bridge of Unity rolls through North Platte". KNOP-TV. Retrieved 2017-10-20.
  19. Hammel, Paul (2017-08-17). "Pro-Trump float hits the streets in downtown Lincoln". World-Herald Bureau. Retrieved 2017-10-20.
  20. Fickau, Ethan (August 18, 2017). "'Trump Unity Bridge' trailer passes through Iowa City on coast to coast tour". KCRG-TV9. Retrieved October 19, 2017.
  21. "Trump float on coast-to-coast tour rolls through Iowa". Des Moines, Iowa: KCCI. 18 August 2017.
  22. "See video: 'Trump Unity Bridge' from metro Detroit vandalized in Virginia". Detroit: WXYZ-TV. 15 September 2017.
  23. Khalil, Ashraf; Associated Press (2017-09-16). "Trump skips town, but still focus of competing rallies in D.C." PBS NewsHour. Retrieved 2017-09-20.
  24. Baumgaertner, Emily (2017-09-16). "Juggalos on the Mall? Just Another Weekend of Washington Protests". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2017-10-20.
  25. ""Bless you": Fox News stars shower blessings upon protesters for violating coronavirus restrictions". 2020-04-16. Retrieved 2020-04-18.

26. https://www.detroitnews.com/story/business/2020/05/18/owosso-barber-calls-all-business-owners-open-up/5214002002/# Retrieved 2020-05-19

27. https://www.southbendtribune.com/news/politics/elements-of-parade-and-tailgate-outside-trump-rally/article_6fe431bd-f5ef-5c53-a939-60eafc079154.html Retrieved 2020-05-19

28. https://local21news.com/news/nation-world/controversial-trump-float-dominates-michigan-parade Retrieved 2020-05-19

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