OOIDA represents owner-operators at White House July Fourth event

During the Fourth of July holiday weekend, some OOIDA members, including members of the board of directors, participated in a once-in-a-lifetime event: attending an event at the White House. The icing on the cake was that they were there representing truck drivers at the Salute to America celebration.

Several OOIDA representatives attended the White House’s Salute to America Fourth of July celebration, representing owner-operators across the nation.

President Donald Trump had invited groups that served on the frontlines of the pandemic. In addition to small-business truckers, medical and law enforcement representatives also were present.

“We were thrilled to attend the event at the White House on July 4th,” said Mike Matousek, OOIDA’s manager of government affairs. “It was an amazing experience regardless of your political affiliation and I think everyone who went on behalf of OOIDA had a great time.  I lived in DC for eight years but never really did anything quite like this.  That said, hopefully this also means the White House will include our members in more substantive discussions about real issues that impact real truckers.  Advocacy is our top priority and the collective real-world experience of our members would certainly be a tremendous asset and resource to President Trump, Congress, and virtually every other elected official.”

OOIDA reps got the chance to sit on the White House South Lawn during Salute to America to enjoy food, music and fireworks.

After President Trump’s speech, guests witnessed an exclusive air show. Aircraft from every American war flew over the South Lawn, spanning from World War II to present-day fighter jets, including the B-2 stealth bomber.

“You’re going to see some planes like you have never seen before, because we build them better than anybody in the world,” Trump said during the event. “The greatest Air Force, the greatest fighters, the greatest everything. You’re going to be seeing something – I just wonder what Orville and Wilbur (Wright) would have been thinking if they ever got to see that. But they’re looking. They’re checking it out right now along with us.”

The Salute to America event concluded with what the White House described “as one of the largest fireworks displays in history.”