Rolling Thunder rolling to an end in Washington D.C.

After a three-decade run, a veteran advocacy group will hold its last motorcycle demonstration ride — called “Rolling Thunder” — in the U.S. capital this Memorial Day weekend.

The nonprofit that organizes the rally, Rolling Thunder Inc., was founded in the late 1980s to bring public attention to prisoners of war and those missing in action and to hold the government to account for veterans who never made it home.

The main reason the organizers gave for calling it quits is financial; it costs them about $200,000 last year to hold the rally, WAMU’s Mikaela Lefrak reports. A lot of that money went to the Pentagon for things like security, toilets and parking lot use, according to Rolling Thunder President Joe Bean.

The group has decided that the money spent on the Washington D.C. demonstration would be better spent on doing local demonstrations.

Mike Wolff, a U.S. Army veteran and national board member for Rolling Thunder Inc., said he thinks local demonstrations might actually have more of an impact.

“None of the politicians are in town this weekend, so what better way to expand your impact than to … bring these to your hometowns,” Wolff said. Plus, he said, downsizing might give people who can’t afford a trip to the capital a chance to participate.

President Trump responded with support early Saturday morning, saying in a tweet, he could not believe the group would have a hard time in Washington, adding he will help if he can.

Can’t believe that Rolling Thunder would be given a hard time with permits in Washington, D.C. They are great Patriots who I have gotten to know and see in action. They love our Country and love our Flag. If I can help, I will!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 25, 2019

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