Team Trump has been bragging about the boat parades being held in various locations for President Trump. And it sure looks like boaters are more enthusiastic for the president than for former vice president Joe Biden. From the Florida Keys to near the Statue of Liberty and several places in between, these so-called “TrumpTillas” are being held almost weekly. Trump recently touted these events saying, “You see the boaters out. There are thousands and thousands of boats every weekend, and we appreciate it, but nobody has seen anything like it ever.”
More than a hundred boaters gathered in Florida for a boat parade to show support for President @realDonaldTrump.
Did you know there has NEVER been a Biden boat parade? How sad!
There is no enthusiasm for Sleepy Joe. pic.twitter.com/q182S2qK9L
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) July 17, 2020
A News and Guts reader recently told us, judging by the boats he saw in the Florida Keys over the 4th of July, the Sunshine State sure seems to favor Trump. He says almost every single boat he saw had a Trump banner flying. A drive through the Miami suburb, Palmetto Bay, would make you think the same thing. Lots of homes are displaying Trump flags, but the only sign of support for Biden is some small lawn signs.
The Daily Beast points out this has been discussed at the White House:
At one point last month, the president privately asked in a meeting if his people could organize more boater events and even inquired, “Are we polling the boaters yet?” as one of the sources recounted. Another source familiar with this inquiry insisted that Trump was merely “joking.”
But it didn’t seem like a joke when the Trump campaign used this as a headline for a release post on their website.
https://twitter.com/scottbix/status/1284187338667589632
Trump loves the pictures. It’s an ego boost to someone who can’t see his name enough. In reality, this disparity of boats and banners doesn’t actually indicate trouble of any kind for Joe Biden. A Quinnipiac poll of all voters, not just boat votes, showed that Joe Biden leads Trump by a 13-point margin (51% to 38%).
So what’s going on? Boaters are by about 13 percentage points more likely to be Republican. Yes, there are statistics for everything. Why aren’t Biden banners flying from boats? In a letter to the editor in the Michigan publication, The Holland Central, Richard Brouwer sarcastically wrote:
Face it. Trump banners and flags look great flying from powerboats and pickup truck beds, sometimes accompanied by the defiant “Don’t Tread On Me” flag. They implicitly speak of power, of domination, of freeing oneself of boundaries, regulations and legal constraints. They shout, “Second Amendment rights” and showcase the macho camaraderie available in boldly intimidating others with weapons of war. They broadcast the increasingly transparent “dog whistle” warnings issued by their leader to affluent neighborhood residents of the upward housing ambitions posed by the Black Lives Matter movement.
How can poor, grey-haired, blue flag Joe Biden compete with all that? What power boat owner wants to fly a blue flag that messages “civility” or “science-based policy” or “reconciliation” or “uncage children” or “foreign policy experience”? Such messaging, commendable as it may be, just doesn’t have the Trumpian blood stirring pizzazz of those bright red displays.
And, as the Washington Post points out, the Biden campaign isn’t as worried about boosting the confidence of their candidate.
The Daily Show’s Jordan Klepper set out to “learn more” about the supporters who are attending these boat rallies, or perhaps more accurately, to troll them. Take a look above.
Any respectable political science expert: Win boat people, win the election. #BoaterID #BoaterFraud
— Jack Kuenzie (@JKuenzie) July 17, 2020
Are they mocking themselves now, or just unaware that others are mocking them for the “boat parade metric”?
— Tom Bonier (@tbonier) July 17, 2020
*This post contains opinion and analysis