Skip to main content

A Seattle driver just got caught using a Trump cardboard cutout in an HOV lane

trump carpool hov
Image used with permission by copyright holder
If you’re going to try to cheat an HOV lane by plunking a fake passenger beside you, best you don’t use a cardboard cutout of one of the most famous people on the planet.

A driver in Seattle, Washington, apparently thought it’d be be a smart move to stick a cutout of Donald Trump’s head in the passenger seat while using a carpool lane on Highway 167 south of Seattle this week.

As if his face wouldn’t attract enough attention, the image on the cutout showed Trump in a characteristic pose – ie. with his mouth open – as if lambasting the driver about his driving skills, or his poor choice of fake passenger, as they sped along the highway. Anyone passing by would’ve definitely looked twice.

Unfortunately for the man behind the wheel, one of those who spotted the unconvincing ruse was a traffic cop, who duly pulled over both him and The Donald.

The driver was immediately slapped with a $136 fine for the violation.

“You see a lot of things in your career, including mannequins, but this was something else,” state trooper Rick Johnson, one of the two officers on the scene, told NBC News.

“Every once in a while, we get somebody trying to be funny,” Johnson said, adding that they allowed the vehicle owner to keep his beloved Trump cutout.

The driver may have wanted to make carpooling great again, but all told, it was a dismal effort that other schemers will surely learn from (no, don’t try using Hillary instead).

The incident took place just hours after Republican presidential hopeful Trump took on Democrat Hillary Clinton in the first of three live televised debates. A record 84 million people tuned in to watch the showdown, with social media platforms like Twitter also reporting some big numbers.

Editors' Recommendations

Trevor Mogg
Contributing Editor
Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…
Tesla’s fix for faulty Cybertruck pedal is simpler than you might think
Tesla Cybertruck

Less than five months after handing over the first Cybertrucks to customers, Tesla has had to recall the electric pickup to fix an issue with the accelerator.

In a notice issued on Friday, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said that the recall impacts Cybertruck vehicles manufactured from November 13, 2023, to April 4, 2024. This suggests that all -- or almost all -- of the 3,878 Cybertrucks being recalled are those that have been manufactured to date.

Read more
Ford Mustang Mach-E 2024 vs. Mach-E 2023: What’s new in Ford’s electric Mustang?
Blue Ford Mustang Mach-E on a rooftop

The Ford Mustang Mach-E is easily one of the best EVs for the price, offering a solid range, sleek design, and pretty good tech on the inside. In recent years, it has gotten even cheaper -- thanks in large part to a price war between it and the Tesla Model 3. And, the company just took the wraps off of the latest and greatest version of the Mach-E, labeled as the 2024 model.

The 2024 Mustang Mach-E is notably different from the 2023 iteration in some meaningful ways. So much so that we decided to take a look at the two head-to-head -- to see if it was better to pay for the 2024 model or save some cash on any remaining 2023 stock.
Design
The Mustang Mach-E looks relatively unique -- in a good way. And thankfully, Ford has largely kept the overall design the same for the 2024 model, at least when it comes to the more consumer-focused models. The car retains the slatted taillights and crossover size. It also offers a large selection of colors, including the very blue Grabber Blue Metallic, as well as Rapid Red Metallic. It's a good selection of colors, and there should be an option for most buyers.

Read more
Tesla to begin production on new, more affordable models
Tesla Model 3

With competition increasing from Chinese and other automakers, Tesla boss Elon Musk revealed on Tuesday that his company is planning to begin production of new, more affordable models in “early 2025, if not late this year.” Notably, that's earlier than the previously stated date of late 2025, though whether Musk actually succeeds in meeting the earlier production time frame is another question entirely.

The news came as Tesla released its latest quarterly figures. Revenue for the electric vehicle maker came in at $21.3 billion, down from the $23.3 billion it reported for the same three-month period a year earlier and also down from the $25.2 billion reported in the previous quarter. Profit reached $1.1 billion, marking a 55% fall compared to the same period a year ago.

Read more