Road Trip: Caravan of Georgia Trump supporters arrives for inauguration

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Buses full of Trump supporters make trip from Atlanta to DC

Rich Edson reports from College Park, Maryland

COLLEGE PARK, Md. – Danny Hamilton, owner of Georgia-based Star Coaches, says his company has rented luxury buses to hundreds of celebrities, including Tim McGraw, Darius Rucker, Michael Jackson and even Hillary Clinton.

But despite the Democrats on his client list, he is a stalwart supporter of President-elect Donald Trump. During the campaign, he even covered one of his coaches in Trump-themed wrapping and drove it around Georgia.

“Why not wrap Trump around it and turn Georgia red?" Hamilton said. “That’s what I did.”

After Trump won Georgia and the presidency itself, Hamilton covered five more buses in “Make America Great Again!!!!” wrapping and offered rides to Trump’s inauguration. The project culminated this week when more than 70 Trump enthusiasts left Atlanta, arriving early Thursday morning at an RV campsite in College Park, Md., just outside Washington, D.C.

“We got a bunch of folks that’s really enjoying what we’re doing and it ain’t breaking the bank and we’re just having a good time,” said Wallace Mathis of Cordele, Ga.

“I think it's going to be one of the greatest moments in history for the United States,” said Kim McCarthy of Alpharetta, Georgia. “I think he's going to be one of the best presidents we've ever had.”

Liz Craig, a Star Coaches driver, led the 650-mile, six-bus caravan and also has tickets to the inauguration.

“We had a really smooth, smooth ride, typical traffic here and there – a lot of support, lot of people driving by honking their horns, waving to us, really a lot of support,” she said.

Hamilton’s businesses, meanwhile, rely on customers in the entertainment industry, and he said he’s concerned some clients may choose a competitor because of his Trump support. So far, though, he’s seen no drop in his business.

“February looks good,” he said. “I was worried, but it’s looking good.”

As for his past business with the Clinton campaign, he said: “I don’t turn down money, man. I’m like Trump when it comes to that.”