One group of truckers called the People's Convoy that left California more than a week ago made it to the East Coast and was stationed on Saturday in Hagerstown, Md., about 70 miles northwest of the capital, converging with other drivers and their supporters — opening up the possibility that the convoy could move into Washington to hold protests against pandemic restrictions in the next few days.
It was not clear what the convoy's exact travel plans were. A Facebook post on Saturday afternoon noted that a rally would be taking place on Saturday evening at the Hagerstown Speedway where the trucks were amassing, and several people commented that the group would be leaving on Sunday for the Capital Beltway, a highway that surrounds Washington.
There were reports on Saturday of at least a thousand trucks, recreational vehicles and cars gathered at the racetrack. One man who described himself as the lead trucker in the group told the crowd on Friday night that he would be driving his truck into the heart of the capital.
"D.C., the government, whomever, can claim that they have all this opposition for us waiting in D.C.," the man said, according to Reuters. "But that flag on the back of my truck will go down to Constitution Avenue between the White House and the Washington Monument."
Christopher Rodriguez, director of the District of Columbia Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency, said the convoy had signaled that it was planning to stay outside the city. If the protesters did enter Washington, the authorities would be ready for them, he said.