MAGA Convoy Stirs Online Outrage for Shutting Down NJ’s Garden State Parkway
A convoy of Trump supporters completely shut down the northbound express lanes of New Jersey’s Garden State Parkway on Sunday afternoon, snarling traffic for miles — and igniting a furious response online.
The intentional traffic jam, which was captured in a short video posted on Twitter on Sunday, showed dozens of cars bearing Trump flags parked in the three express lanes and on the shoulder near Cheesequake State Park. An unidentified voice in the video can be heard yelling over the sound of car horns, declaring: “We shut it down, baby! We shut it down!”
The Trump convoy’s tactic of blocking traffic as a political gesture of support for President Donald Trump — in a reliably blue state like New Jersey, no less — quickly drew plenty of mockery and charges of hypocrisy, as Trump and many of his fans have expressed outrage when Black Lives Matter protests have similarly blocked traffic while marching.
Brownshirts. What fucking idiot thinks this makes any of us want to support them? https://t.co/eSTtn7UOst
— Fred Wellman (@FPWellman) November 1, 2020
Shutting down a highway makes sense as civil disobedience, but what are they protesting?
That their guy is president? https://t.co/2NTNOatMh4
— Jon Cryer (@MrJonCryer) November 1, 2020
If #BlackLivesMatter did this there’d be tear gas and rubber bullets. https://t.co/WmqYFMp4gw
— Steve Marmel (@Marmel) November 1, 2020
I’m just going to sit here and wait for the outrage that I’m accustomed to hearing when protesters shut down highways. The people who voice it are so honest, and of such good faith, that I’m confident it will be coming.
Then all we have to do is to wait on here. https://t.co/fgKoPIYX9A
— PrinceOfDarknessHat (@Popehat) November 1, 2020
Same people who wanted cops to beat up Black Lives Matter protestors for stopping traffic? https://t.co/kC4W6SjxbB
— M’BlockU (@rodimusprime) November 1, 2020
Hypocritical weirdos. https://t.co/X3rPYJiu0Q
— Jim Swift (@JimSwiftDC) November 1, 2020
Traffic jams as get out the vote strategy seems on brand. https://t.co/sGi8gWDkbx
— Kara Swisher (@karaswisher) November 1, 2020
The perfect end to this campaign is Trump supporters abusing their fellow Americans by blocking all traffic for no apparent reason. Mindless harm. A great metaphor for Trump. https://t.co/YffMgNpj24
— Neera -Vote Early- Tanden (@neeratanden) November 1, 2020
A reminder that in the past year Republicans in some states introduced legislation that would allow motorists to run over and kill any protester obstructing a highway. https://t.co/KdR06CwP5w
— Matt McDermott (@mattmfm) November 1, 2020
This would make me murderously angry. Hope there weren’t any ambulances behind all that fuckery. https://t.co/drDrW9aNJq
— Bob Cesca (@bobcesca_go) November 1, 2020
well that’s a great way to piss off voters https://t.co/ShG18KuBfH
— Clara Jeffery (@ClaraJeffery) November 1, 2020
This seems like a great way to persuade undecided voters. https://t.co/Rd6cYuQcKd
— Please Vote Please (@brizilla) November 1, 2020
Like almost any action where traffic is blocked, what do these boneheads think they’ll accomplish? Especially in New Jersey. https://t.co/PUgrpzGxVc
— Jay Caruso (@JayCaruso) November 1, 2020
sitting here imagining the Venn diagram of the people doing this who also believe it’s righteous to run over BLM protestors with their cars https://t.co/Un1w7NXjNw
— inverted vibe curve: burgertown must be defended (@PatBlanchfield) November 1, 2020
Oh look. It’s like a metaphor for these assholes bringing our lives to a complete halt with their goddamn selfishness. https://t.co/t14wBNcQmE
— Lauren Hough (@laurenthehough) November 1, 2020
Would love to see police come and break this up, since the excuse for pepper spraying so many BLM demonstrators this summer was because they were “obstructing traffic.” https://t.co/nBnMGvFMt0
— Alanna Vagianos (@AlannaVagianos) November 1, 2020
I was always told a great way to win voters was to cause traffic and make it impossible for people to live their lives normally. It really endears people to your cause. https://t.co/9sqlwPLq8f
— Emily C. Singer (@CahnEmily) November 1, 2020
I wonder if @GovRonDeSantis thinks we should arrest all of these people for blocking traffic or is it just Black Lives Matter protests he wants to incarcerate? https://t.co/pZyLUvxcBm
— Rep. Anna V. Eskamani ? (@AnnaForFlorida) November 1, 2020
Why aren’t they getting pepper sprayed, tear gassed, and violently beaten?
Oh, I see the flag. Never mind. ? https://t.co/MLyt0rBhZV
— Ethan Bearman, Esq. (@EthanBearman) November 1, 2020
Some critics noted how badly things went for a Republican politician — alluding to former Gov. Chris Christie’s ‘Bridgegate’ scandal — who was linked to a previous incident involving an intentional traffic jam in New Jersey.
What is it with New Jersey Republicans expressing their political anger by creating traffic jams? https://t.co/7n6t4b7tAP
— Elizabeth Picciuto ?? (@epicciuto) November 1, 2020
Because if there’s one thing New Jersey loves, it’s unnecessary traffic jams! Remember how well it went for Chris Christie? https://t.co/UV6BzXX3np
— Sarah Boxer (@Sarah_Boxer) November 1, 2020
One Trump supporter tried to justify the highway shutdown by claiming that the was punishment for New Jersey’s reliable blue status, and that the convoy was “just blocking libs.”
not a battleground state. they’re just blocking libs https://t.co/oazsCOxtFe
— Scott Greer 6’2” IQ 187 (@ScottMGreer) November 1, 2020
And no New Jersey story would be complete without a reference to Bruce Springsteen, inspiring one clever, anti-Trump observer to offer up a custom take on the shutdown, to the tune of Born to Run.
The highway’s jammed with broken shitheels
On a last white-power drive
Their president’s on the run tonight
With no place left to hide https://t.co/jUlJVlxtYw— Alan Scherstuhl (@studiesincrap) November 1, 2020
