Protesting truckers blare horns outside White House, Trump mistakes it as 'sign of love'

The United States President Donald Trump's press briefing in the White House rose garden on Friday was disrupted by the blaring horns by the truck drivers who were protesting for fair wages. However, the US President mistook the protest as ‘showing support’ and reportedly said that they were a "sign of love" for his presidency.

The horns were audible for close to 30 minutes anticipating the President's acknowledgment. This continued throughout the president's speech on his administration's efforts to speed up the development and production of a Coronavirus vaccine. 

READ | US president Trump lauds Indian-American scientists, researchers

'That’s the sign of love..."

While addressing the presser detailing Operation Warp Speed, a government-wide initiative to speed the timeline to produce a Coronavirus vaccine, Trump reportedly said: "And you hear that outside, that beautiful sound? Those are truckers that are with us all the way. They’re protesting in favor of President Trump, as opposed to against. That’s the sign of love, not the sign of your typical protest."

"So I want to thank our great truckers," the US President added.

READ | US will donate ventilators, cooperate on COVID-19 vaccine development to help India: Trump

The president also encountered similar protesters earlier this month when he was returning to the White House from a town-hall at the Lincoln Memorial. He asked his Chief of Staff Mark Meadows to speak to some of the truckers at that time, and later pledged his support to their protest.

The president extended his support to the truckers and thanked them for meeting the white house representatives from the administration in a tweet.

The truckers' protest

A daily in the US reported about the protest and said that a convoy of trucks in Washington DC demonstrated a protest by blasting their air horns. They were protesting against low shipping rates, which the truckers say has threatened their livelihoods.  The truckers are facing economic hardship as the economy is hit hard due to the Coronavirus pandemic, and to make situation worse, the freight brokers have imposed low rates, further driving down their wages, the daily reported.

READ | Trump hopes for COVID-19 vaccine by end of this year, launches 'Operation Warp Speed'

COVID-19 cases in the United States

As per the latest details, the US has reported 1,484,285 Coronavirus cases; while 326,242 have recovered, the virus has claimed 88,507 lives.

READ | Donald Trump says White House will make announcement related to WHO next week