How Does the U.S. Presidential Motorcade Work?

The American president's motorcade includes multiple armored vehicles driving in a virtual ballet to ensure its passengers' safety. Learn what goes into creating the presidential motorcade in this episode of BrainStuff.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
Welcome to brain Stuff production of I Heart Radio. Hey,
brain Stuff, Lauren Vogelbam here. Nothing snarls big city traffic
quite like a politician headed to another ribbon cutting or
campaign stump speech. Lights flashing flags, fluttering sirens, blaring traffic
light ignoring. It's a commuting armageddon, no matter which side

(00:22):
of the political aisle or city street you happen to
be stuck on. The granddaddy of these, of course, the
jammed resistance, if you will, is the presidential motorcade. Ever
since that day nearly a hundred and seventeen years ago,
when Teddy Roosevelt reportedly became the first president to use
a car in an official capacity parading through the streets
of Hartford, Connecticut, everybody's been moving aside to let the

(00:44):
Commander in Chief through. From The New York Times on
August two. On his arrival at Hartford, the President was
welcomed by a committee of representative citizens and then taken
for a drive around the city, occupying with Colonel Jacob L. Green,
a handsome Victoria automobile in charge of two expert New
York show furs. He was enthusiastically cheered all along the

(01:05):
route earlier, Roosevelt had landed by yacht in New Haven
and taken a carriage ride through that city. At the
times reported by proclamation of the mayor, all traffic over
the line of March was suspended. The city's factories changed
the noon hour for the day, and the shops were
closed between one pm and two thirty pm. The city
was gaily dressed in flags and bunting. Presidential motorcaids have

(01:26):
always had an undeniable patriotic panash, even in Washington, d C.
Where other motorcaids are pretty passe, varying visiting dignitaries, diplomats,
cabinet members, and the political alike about and of course,
presidential inaugural parades featuring the presidential motorcaid are particularly decked out,
even though almost every president since Jimmy Carter in n

(01:47):
has escaped from their limos to hoof it down Pennsylvania
Avenue on foot at least for a little bit. But
however festive they seem, these motorcaids must carry off a
kind of automobile ballet to get the president safely to
the destination. We spoke via email with Melissa Mackenzie, a
spokesperson for these Secret Service, she said, while each motorcaid

(02:08):
movement is unique, thorough planning precedes any protective movement, requiring
constant coordination between the Secret Service and its partners. The
Secret Service believes that this thorough planning is the best
safeguard against all types of potential pitfalls, but agents are
prepared and trained to deal with unforeseen circumstances as they arise.
Those unforeseen circumstances can be the stuff of tragedy and history.

(02:31):
John F. Kennedy was assassinated riding in a presidential motorcaid
in Dallas. An assassin shot Ronald Reagan as he prepared
to get into his limo in a motorcade in d
c Gerald Ford had to be shoved into his limousine
twice in the space of two weeks in California, once
in Sacramento, once in San Francisco to avoid assassination. That's
why the Secret Service doesn't mess around when it comes

(02:52):
to presidential motorcaids. Mackenzie pointed out carefully that the Secret
Service coordinates with state, local, and federal authorities in determining
a composition of a presidential motorcaid. Often how well equipped
the local force is determines how many vehicles are involved.
She said. Motorcaids are comprised of numerous types of vehicles
belonging to the Secret Service and several other entities. While

(03:14):
precise alignments and numbers cannot be divulged, most motorcaids include,
at a minimum, a vehicle for the protectee, vehicles for
security personnel, and vehicles for local or state law enforcement support.
At the virtual center of a presidential motorcaid is the
presidential limo, which carries the president, a few Secret Service agents,
and other high ranking dignitaries or family members. Franklin D.

(03:36):
Roosevelt became the first to use an armor plated vehicle
in December of ninety one, shortly after the Japanese bombed
Pearl Harbor and the US entered World War Two. That
particular vehicle was seized by the Treasury Department from gangster
Al Capone in ninety two. It had bulletproof glass, but
the body was vulnerable to bullets. The Secret Service started
armor plating limos in two. Today's well armor presidential limo

(04:00):
is surrounded by other vehicles in the motorcaid, including decoy
limos and many support cars. In a article the website
The Drive suggested that there may be as many as
twenty different limos in the presidential fleet, though we couldn't
get Mackenzie to confirm this info. When a president leaves
d C, the presidential limo and many other cars in
the motorcaid. However, many of the secret Service deams necessary,

(04:22):
including perhaps a spare limo, are shipped to the destination
via air Force planes. The limo carrying the president is
proceeded in the motorcaid by different vehicles closing streets and
clearing the way. Often local police on motorcycles do that job,
and it's closely accompanied by at least one other limo.
The two limos moved back and forth, swapping places during

(04:42):
the procession. The Drive reported quote, while the Motorcaid is
in motion, highly trained Secret Service drivers execute a classic
roving shell game, weaving stagecoach and spare or spares in
and out among each other so that a would be
attacker would have a tough time picking the car actually
containing the president. The presidential limousines even have identical plates.

(05:04):
The current presidential limo is known as the Beast. It's
a Cadillac hybrid. Tech Crunch reported that prior presidential limo
supported quote bulletproof glass, a supply of the president's blood type,
and an independent air supply to thwart chemical attack. Secret
Service details, communications vehicles, and other support vehicles, including a
lot of heavy duty SUVs, follow the presidential limo. The

(05:26):
rear of the convoy includes vehicles carrying members of the press,
an ambulance, and more local police to protect the rear
of the motorcaid. The Secret Service is always in charge.
Mackenzie said. Agents assigned to drive in presidential motorcaids received
extensive training in several areas, and the rehearse and research
motorcaid routes continually. Things don't always go smoothly. A few

(05:48):
motorcycle officers assigned the Presidential Motorcaid in Lake Charles, Louisiana
in May of twenty nineteen were injured in an accident. Still,
that motorcaide got his job done, delivering President Donald Trump
safely to his death nation, even if there were a
few traffic tie ups along the way. Today's episode was

(06:09):
written by John Donovan and produced by Tyler Clang. The
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