Donald Trump may be cruising in all 2024 Republican presidential polls.
But Bikers for Trump — long lauded by the former president for its engine-revving, leather-appointed MAGA support — is in a ditch.
The group's political action committee — Donald Trump personally visited with Bikers for Trump members as president — is more than $81,000 in debt with less than $4,000 cash on hand, according to a new filing with the Federal Election Commission, which covers the first half of 2023.
During this time, Bikers for Trump's once robust presence appears to have waned.
Its website has on its homepage an outdated call to “draft” Trump for President in 2024. Trump declared his candidacy more than eight months ago.
The Bikers for Trump PAC page on X, formerly Twitter, is also outdated. It says the group’s “sole purpose is to help re-elect pro-Trump candidates and President Donald Trump in 2020.” The most recent tweet was in September 2022.
Chris Cox, founder of Bikers for Trump, couldn’t be reached for comment. A voicemail message left at a phone number on one of the group’s FEC filings was not immediately returned. The Trump campaign didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Bikers for Trump reported debts of $50,022 to InfoCision, Inc., of Akron, Ohio, a call center company with a political fundraising service. It also owes $31,125 to PAC Management Services of Alexandria, Va., according to the FEC filing.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) speaks during a Bikers for Trump campaign event held at the Crazy Acres Bar & Grill on May 20, 2022 in Plainville, Georgia. Joe Raedle/Getty Images
Bikers for Trump reported $886 in receipts during the first half of 2023, all from mailing list companies for royalties.
What started as motorcycle riders supporting a political candidate added a role as a self-styled security force for Trump’s events in 2016. Bikers for Trump formally founded the Bikers for the President PAC in December 2017. The group changed its name to Bikers for Trump in 2021.
Cox became significant enough to have a photo with Trump in the Oval Office, which he features on his Facebook page.
Bikers for Trump reported contributions of $769,337 for all of 2020, the year Trump lost the presidential election to Democrat Joe Biden.
That year, Cox, a chainsaw artist, ran for the Republican nomination for Congress in South Carolina’s 1st District. He finished third with less than 10% of the vote, and now-Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) went on to win the seat.
