Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, joined the "people's convoy" on Thursday and rode "shotgun" as drivers headed to the Capital Beltway for the fourth time this week to protest COVID-19 health restrictions.
"Sen. @tedcruz has arrived to the anti-COVID mandate trucker convoy protest in Hagerstown, MD to show his support," Townhall.com's Julio Rosas tweeted Thursday morning.
Rosas also tweeted a photo of Cruz sitting in the passenger seat of a truck.
The senator later tweeted, "God bless The People's Convoy!" with a photo showing him addressing the crowd.
Cruz and Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., met with participants on Tuesday to discuss their demands and grievances. The convoy of big rigs, RVs and pickups had been tying up traffic on the Capital Beltway outside Washington since Sunday in an effort to end the state of emergency that led to overreaching mandates.
The group rested on Wednesday due to rainy weather and concerns about safety on the roads, the Post said.
Group organizer Brian Brase said the convoy Thursday would be going into D.C. to meet with more lawmakers, adding that it was a bit of "cold calling."
"There ain't no ignoring a senator riding in the lead truck," Brase said to cheers, The Washington Post reported. "That's basically an endorsement of what we're doing."
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Monday agreed to extend National Guard support in Washington, D.C., due to the truckers' presence. Capitol Police leaders reportedly were worried about the possibility of the convoy causing shutdowns of various roads and highways in the D.C. area.
Convoy organizers have rallied support by calling COVID-19 mandates an infringement on their freedoms.
Brase, a 37-year-old trucker from Ohio, said the convoy will continue to protest until mandates for health workers, federal employees, and military personnel are eliminated, the Post reported.
"[Cruz is] gonna at least lead the convoy out the gate and down the road," Brase said, the Post reported."He may stick with it. I'm not exactly sure; it's up to him, his security staff, and what they decide to do."
Mike Landis, another organizer, said he expected Cruz to ride shotgun in his truck.
"It's a pretty big honor," Landis said, the Post reported.
The convoy initially set off from Southern California on Feb. 23.
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