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.
Riders from across the country converged on the National Mall near the Lincoln Memorial for the annual “Rolling Thunder” rally and to listen to the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, who hopes to be commander in chief next year.
“We’re going to rebuild our military and we’re going to take care of our veterans,” Trump told the crowd of thousands, many of whom wore leather vests, veterans’ hats and biker insignia.
Trump, the billionaire businessman who has promised to build a wall along the U.S. border with Mexico if he becomes president, said illegal immigrants in many cases got better care in the United States than military veterans.
“We’re not going to allow that to happen any longer,” he said.
Trump, 69, who did not serve in the military, upset veterans last year when he said Senator John McCain of Arizona was not a war hero.
McCain, a Navy fighter pilot who went on to become the 2008 Republican presidential nominee, was imprisoned and tortured after being shot down during the Vietnam War.
Trump made no mention of McCain during his remarks on Sunday, and the crowd cheered him enthusiastically, with some waving signs including “Bikers for Trump” and “Make America Great Again.” Supporters cheered when Trump mentioned veterans and booed at the mention of Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders.
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