Trump Hails Trucker Who Suggests Boycotting New York City

Truckers could soon be refusing to take goods to New York to protest a recent court ruling against former president Donald Trump, a trucker said.

Truckers move shipping containers out of the Port of Long Beach, Calif., on July 13, 2022. John Fredricks/The Epoch Times

President Donald Trump on Sunday praised the truckers who reportedly are boycotting New York City as “great patriots.”

“Such an honor to have so many Great Patriots on the side of FREEDOM!” the former president wrote in a Truth Social post.

He was responding to a social media post that suggested that some truck drivers could be on the verge of refusing to deliver goods to New York City in protest over the civil fraud judgment that saw Mr. Trump fined $355 million last week.

In a Feb. 16 post on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), a trucker using the handle Chicago Ray said he'd spoken to at least ten truckers who will “start refusing loads” to the city in protest of the ruling. Three of the people he spoke to were co-workers, who Ray says have already “texted the boss and told him no NYC.”

“I’m just one of the many millions of truckers who believe in God and love this country, I stand with Trump bc Trump stands with me. Truckers for Trump ain’t just a slogan, it’s real,” Chicago Ray said.

“I don’t know how far across the country this is or how many truckers are going to start denying loads going to New York City, but I'll tell you what, you [expletive] around and find out,” he added.

He took down the post later and clarified that he’s not “the leader of any movement.”

“Drivers can make their own decisions based on their families and their careers ... I worked for a place for 18 years and I quit them in one day and had this job because I got to my car,” he wrote in an update post. “I’m not the leader of any movement ... I’m my own man period.”

But he doubled down on supporting Mr. Trump.

“I stand with Trump. One hundred percent Truckers for Trump,” he said.

‘Boycott New York’ Gains Steam

Last September, New York Attorney General Letitia James sued the former president for allegedly defrauding the state by artificially inflating his net worth to obtain more favorable terms from banks and insurers. New York Supreme Court Justice Arthur Engoron ruled on Feb. 16 that President Trump and the Trump Organization were liable for inflating the value of their assets to receive better rates from lenders and insurers.

In addition to the financial penalty, President Trump was also banned from “serving as an officer or director” of any business in New York for at least the next three years. Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump were also ordered to pay $4 million each in fines. The Trumps have denied any wrongdoing, with the former president calling the judgment “a lawless, unconstitutional atrocity that sets fire to our laws.”

The initial video posted by Chicago Ray has gained some traction online, with “Boycott New York” and “Boycott NYC” both trending on X at different times. The original video by Chicago Ray has received over seven million views and ended with a promise of an update on Monday. Several other truckers have also taken to X, voicing their support for the campaign.

A truck driver known as Patrick Rossow said in a Feb. 18 post that he “stands with the boycott. Time to show the corrupt [that] we run this country. Not them.”

Another trucker using the X handle “The Real Trucker Jake” also voiced his support, saying, “Liberals laugh at the thought of a trucker boycott of NYC. A few years ago, a trucker boycott brought the state of Colorado to its knees. MAGA patriots make this country run. Liberals make our coffee.”

It’s still being determined how many truck drivers are supporting the campaign or if it will eventually grow large enough to disrupt the flow of goods to New York City.