In the run-up to the 2020 presidential showdown, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris witnessed a moment of patriotic fervor, along the lines of high-spirited ‘Trump Train’ caravans. The participants’ passionate support for Trump led to an incident where Biden-Harris’s lumbering campaign bus found itself enmeshed in a swarm of vehicles boldly displaying Trump flags. This spontaneous show of political support stretched for nearly a grueling hour and a half along Interstate 35’s southbound route.
Sometimes, an overzealous show of support can end up causing trouble. For instance, one supporter’s excitement underestimated vehicular distances, resulting in an unfortunate collision with a Biden campaign aide who was on the bus’s tail. The incident stretched from San Antonio to Austin and had a ripple effect that pushed right into 2021 when it sparked a legal feud. The Biden-Harris duo quickly declared themselves the victims.
Those involved in the Trump Train convoy were subsequently slapped with a lawsuit filed under the antiquated 1871 Ku Klux Klan Act. This 150-year-old act is a broad-brush approach to limit citizens from allegedly using intimidation tactics to ‘restrict someone’s political advocacy or support.’ The suit aimed for punitive and compensatory damages in addition to attorney’s fees – a high price to pay for what could be simply seen as an overly energetic political drive.
The accusers painted a picture of a meticulously calculated ‘ambush’ aimed at suppressing the Biden campaign and deterring the bus’s passengers from politically engaging. They emphasized the public nature of the event’s preparation, conveniently forgetting that most political rallies are typically planned on open platforms like social media.
A plaintiff representative, Samuel Hall, swept aside the obvious patriotism shared by the Trump Train members, falsely characterizing their gusto as acts of ‘intimidation’. His remarks were a miscalculated attempt to vilify those participating in a vibrant show of political support.
On the other hand, the defense was quick to call the event for what it was, a zealous expression of political affiliation, akin to the many Trump Train convenes witnessed throughout 2020. The defendants’ attorney, Francisco Cansecco, highlighted how pro-Trump car rallies were a regular feature due to the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions.
Cansecco presented a different view, intimating that the plaintiffs were fostering their own style of conspiracy. He suggested that they were using ‘lawfare’ to exhaust the Republican supporters monetarily. The suggestion seems plausible given the continued attempts to squeeze Trump loyalists even when the presiding Judge Robert Pitman has denied multiple requests for the case’s dismissal.
The plaintiffs included Timothy Holloway, the bus driver, and then-Biden-staffer David Gins, joined by Davis, a congressional nominee. On the defense side, most of the individuals were commonplace citizens like Joeylynn Mesaros, a homemaker, and her plumber husband Robert, or the Hallmark employee Brandi Ceh and her pastor husband Steve Ceh.
Hall, representing the plaintiffs, put forth a bombardment of hardcore social media posts and some private conversations from those involved. He used rhetoric like ‘#blockthebus’ from social media posts to support his assertion that the Trump loyalists had plans to disrupt the Democrat-led rallies.
Joeylynn Mesaros and others, including defendant Cisneros, responded to the claims brought against them, revealing their frustration. However, Samuel Hall sought to skew the narrative by presenting these fraught messages as gloating rather than expressions of harassment endured by Trump supporters.
Ceh, in a public address, outlined clearly the local sentiments, stating, ‘Any socialist invading the state of Texas, we’ll escort them right out of Texas.’ His self-assured smile in court undeniably reflected the initiatives taken by the citizens to protect their views and policies.
This legal struggle has continued, and each side invited its share of rights organizations for representation. The attorneys from the Texas Civil Rights Project and the Protect Democracy Project sided with the plaintiffs, compounding the aggressive narrative against the Trump Train participants. The case is slated to reach a verdict around mid-September.
Additionally, in a distinct lawsuit, the accusers apparently managed to score a settlement in 2023 with San Marcos’ police officers. They claimed the officers violated the Ku Klux Klan Act by disregarding 911 calls from the beleaguered bus. It appears the Biden-Harris campaign will stop at nothing to label their political opponents as oppressors.