He prefers to travel by private jet but Donald Trump’s most ardent supporters will arrive for his inauguration in Washington on motorcycles.
Riding under the banner Bikers for Trump, they intend to “form a wall of meat” between protesters and those celebrating the new administration, Chris Cox, the group’s founder, says.
At least two other biker groups — 2 Million Bikers to DC and Travis Thompson Biker — are also planning inauguration rallies. Each claims to have attracted thousands of supporters.
At a dinner for Washington diplomats this week, Mr Trump praised his two-wheeled fans. “I saw the Bikers for Trump — boy they had a scene today,” he said. “They had helicopters flying over a highway some place in this country. And they had thousands of those guys coming into town.” Most rode Harley-Davidsons, which were “made right here in America”, he added. “That’s like additional security with those guys — and they’re rough.”
Photographs of convoys of bikers claiming to be on their way to the capital were widely posted on Twitter this week but it has been disclosed that most of the images were fakes.
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A picture shared by Katie Hopkins, the MailOnline columnist, was captioned: “Go you good things #BikersForTrump — helping Make America Great Again”. However, it was plucked from a 2013 Czech biker forum. Other photos and videos shared tens of thousands of times were taken from rallies of years past, such as a 2013 toy drive and a 9/11 commemoration.
Mr Cox, an artist, did not comment on the fake pictures but his group said he would hold a press conference. He had predicted that at least 5,000 bikers would show up for inauguration events tomorrow.
Mr Cox knows Washington well. He worked as an aide to Elizabeth Dole and Colin Powell before returning to Charleston, South Carolina, where he became a sculptor specialising in carving with a chainsaw. Mr Cox said that the president-elect had called to thank him for organising his group.
Rival pro-Trump bikers cast doubt on his credentials, however, claiming that he did not even own a motorbike.
Biker parades are a perennial draw for Republicans seeking to promote patriotism and toughness. At least two 2016 presidential hopefuls kicked off their campaigns with a ride on Harley-Davidsons at an event in Iowa. Rick Perry, the former Texas governor nominated to head the Energy Department, even dedicated his journey to a charity that provided veterans with puppies.
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Only President Putin of Russia can boast a similarly enthusiastic cavalcade: the Night Wolves motorbike club. That group, however, is rather more controversial. Its members have been seen supporting Russian secessionists in Ukraine.