SLYDER: Could the U.S. trucker convoy be coming?

As the Canadian ‘freedom’ convoy heats up, there is a question on many minds in the U.S. Could we see a similar movement here? The short answer is… maybe. There is growing momentum in the anti-mandate community on Facebook and other social media pointing to a U.S. freedom convoy. That could start at any time. This momentum is being fueled by politicians such as Sen. Rand Paul. Paul is among others urging protesters to disrupt the Super Bowl and State Of The Union address. Additionally, there are remarks stating that “it’d be great” if demonstrators came to the U.S. to “clog things up.” While the State of the Union address isn’t for another couple of weeks, no trucker disruptions occurred at the Super Bowl near and around SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, CA.

Sources: the momentum isn’t there for a U.S. freedom convoy

However, some sources are saying that the momentum just isn’t there. Many of these social media pages and groups are being run outside of the U.S. in places such as Bangladesh. Joan Donovan of the Shorenstein Center warns that the motivation of these groups is not known. However, patterns fit existing efforts to make money off of political division in the U.S. With all that being said, small trucker protests have been met with support, like the one on February 12, 2022 in Erie, PA. A small convoy arrived at the Pilot Travel Center on Perry Highway to a cheering crowd. “It’s heartwarming to see the amount of support that we have received along the way,” said Daniel Wagner. “All the different groups of folks that were there to just support us and cheer us on. People have supplied us gas cards and different supplies.”  The convoy was from a grassroots group out of Tenessee heading for its final destination in Buffalo, N.Y. Even with support, some will question how a protest like this would be met in places like Washington, D.C. This is especially after the 2021 march on the Capitol. Moreover, all we can do is wait and see how this plays out.