Rolling Thunder Memorial Day Run On or Off??

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May 27, 2019 · WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Rolling Thunder motorcycles that descend on Washington, D.C. every Memorial Day weekend made their final ride on Sunday, ending a three decades-old tradition that was initially meant to serve to pay tribute to fallen and missing-in-action soldiers. The veterans advocacy group, formed in 1987 by 73-year-old Vietnam veteran Artie Muller,

President Trump Said He Rescued the Rolling Thunder Tribute to POWs. It's Not That Simple

 Sunday, he weighed in again––this time declaring that Rolling Thunder would continue in Washington next year, implying he had fixed the problem.

“The Great Patriots of Rolling Thunder WILL be coming back to Washington, D.C. next year, & hopefully for many years to come,” he said. “It is where they want to be, & where they should be.”

The President referenced a rift between the Pentagon and the nonprofit that organizes the event. “Thank you to our great men and women of the Pentagon for working it out,” he said.

Despite Trump’s tweet, Rolling Thunder’s founder and executive director Artie Muller affirmed again on Sunday this was the last year for the event in the nation’s capital.

In reference to the President’s comments, Muller said on C-Span that nothing had changed. “I know he means well, but I don’t know what the story is with them working it out with us,” Muller, a Vietnam War veteran, said. “There’d have to be a lot of discussion and a lot of changes for everybody that comes here and our organization that helps put this together.”

Though the organization’s 90 chapters will be continuing local rallies in 2020 and beyond, Muller said the group has no plans to continue its annual ride in the U.S. capital.
Mueller said a lack of cooperation from the Pentagon — in addition to rising costs and similar struggles with local police — caused the rally’s demise. The annual “Ride for Freedom” in Washington costs the organization around $200,000 in 2018, Muller told C-Span on Sunday.

“We’re collecting money to help veterans, troops and their families, and spending $200,000 on a run? I can’t justify that,” he told the newspaper.

A large portion of that $200,000 goes directly to the Pentagon for access to their parking lots, which serve as staging areas for the ride, as well as bathrooms and security detail, WTOP reported. “We’re tired of the harassment,” Muller told the Washington TV station. “We’re tired of the aggravation there.”

In a statement to WTOP, Pentagon spokeswoman Sue Gough said that the Pentagon has “worked closely with Rolling Thunder representatives to achieve a safe and successful event,” and denied that reserved areas weren’t accessible to guests.

[Jenniferw12]