Vivek Ramaswamy, a Republican presidential candidate, will host an event at Iowa 80 on Dec. 21 that’s all about the American trucking industry and its workers.
According to a Thursday press release, Ramaswamy will roll out his “official trucking policy” at the event. Members of CDL Drivers Unlimited, a new membership alliance for truck drivers, will share “concerns about trucking-related issues” at the event too.
It’s unusual for presidential candidates to specifically target the truck driver community, even though federal data says there are more than 2 million tractor-trailer truck drivers in the United States.
In the release, Ramaswamy emphasized last year’s Freedom Convoy, in which hundreds of truck drivers blocked Ottawa and other parts of Canada to protest vaccine mandates for cross-border truck drivers, and Canada’s response to that protest, which includes charges like mischief and obstructing police, for more than 140 people.
“Truckers are a crucial link in the American supply chain that power America’s economy. They’re not just haulers of goods — they’re the guardians of freedom on our highways,” Ramaswamy said in the release. “Last year, we watched as the ‘Freedom Convoy’ in Canada unmasked the perils of government overreach — speech was censored, peaceful protesters were arrested, and big banks froze personal funds. Those Canadian truckers taught the world a valuable lesson about the power of civil protest against an out-of-control totalitarian government. On Thursday, Dec. 21, join me at Iowa 80, the World’s Largest Truckstop, where I will lay out my detailed plan for how we support our truckers and ensure freedom for all.”
Recent polls suggest that former President Donald Trump is by far the leading Republican candidate among the GOP electorate. Morning Consult, one leading pollster, found that 67% of likely voters who are Republican would vote for Trump, followed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (13%), former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (10%) and Ramaswamy (6%).
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