Donald Trump Boat Parade in Texas Sees Sunken Vessels, Distress Calls and Surprise Online

A "Trump Boat Parade" led to several sunken vessels on Saturday, and social media can't get enough of it. The story took off after dramatic video showed hundreds of boats with "Trump 2020" flags speeding across Lake Travis in central Texas. The fact that it ended in disaster led to some candid observations on Twitter.

Saturday's "Lake Travis Boat Parade" was organized on Facebook, inviting "boats of all shapes and sizes" to come decorated "in patriotic colors and fly as many Trump flags as she can handle" to "really make a statement!" Approximately 2,600 people clicked "attending" on the event, although so far there is no confirmed count of the number of boats nor the number of people there. According to a report by The New York Times, at least four boats sank on Saturday, and local authorities began getting distress calls from the water at around 12:15 p.m. local time. The parade was scheduled to begin at noon.

EARLIER: Trump supporters lead a boat parade sailing along the Jersey Shore. pic.twitter.com/0erVzvX4Zv

— The Hill (@thehill) September 5, 2020

Firefighters reportedly responded to pull some people out of the water, and so far, no injuries have been reported. It is not yet clear what caused the boats to sink.

To many onlookers on social media, the cause was obvious — the overcrowded waters navigated with no coordination among vessels. The event was organized by an individual, and was not overseen by any kind of governing body. Twitter users noted the boats speeding alongside each other dangerously close, threatening to capsize their smaller neighbors.

Swamped boat near Emerald Point as hundreds of boats parade for President Donald Trump, at least three craft swamped with no injuries reported #statesman @bobphoto pic.twitter.com/eY3yyAXvyp

— bobphoto (@bobphoto) September 5, 2020

Of course, many also mocked the parade for stylistic or ideological reasons. They jeered the participants as "out of touch," since so many Americans are far removed from luxuries like boat ownership. For the most part, the jokes were well-received, though some arguments broke out. Here is a look at how social media handled the Trump boat parade fiasco.