Cyclist who lost her job after gesturing at Donald Trump now builds cycle lanes as elected official
Juli Briskman was fired after a picture of her being passed by the former US president’s motorcade went viral
A cyclist who lost her job for gesturing at Donald Trump has since become an elected official and has helped build cycle lanes in her region.
Juli Briskman went viral in 2017 after she raised a middle finger at the motorcade escorting then-US president Donald Trump while riding her bike in Sterling, Virginia.
After the image, taken by a White House photographer, emerged online Briskman lost her job as a marketing executive at a government contracting firm after her bosses said she had violated the company’s code of conduct.
Trump owns a golf course in the area where Briskman was cycling, and in the district where she is now an official.
In 2019, she told The Guardian: “I knew it was him - he’s there all the time.
“There were all these crises happening in our country and he was just off golfing all the time.
“All of those frustrations just welled up inside me and I decided to express that toward him and his motorcade.”
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The picture was posted online via Getty Images and The Guardian’s reporter David Smith observed that on October 28, 2019 the motorcade passed two pedestrians at 3.12pm, one of whom gave a thumbs-down, before the cars then past a woman on a bike “wearing a white top and cycling helmet, who responded by giving the middle finger.”
Since then, Democrat supporter Briskman went on to win an election in November 2019 to gain a seat in the Algonkian District on the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors, officially being sworn in last January.
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As part of her new role, Briskman oversees leisure facilities and has helped build cycle lanes in the district and also worked to remove a Confederate monument, along with helping to release funds for Covid-19 relief during the pandemic.
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Alex Ballinger is editor of BikeBiz magazine, the leading publication for the UK cycle industry, and is the former digital news editor for CyclingWeekly.com. After gaining experience in local newsrooms, national newspapers and in digital journalism, Alex found his calling in cycling, first as a reporter, then as news editor responsible for Cycling Weekly's online news output, and now as the editor of BikeBiz. Since pro cycling first captured his heart during the 2010 Tour de France (specifically the Contador-Schleck battle) Alex covered three Tours de France, multiple editions of the Tour of Britain, and the World Championships, while both writing and video presenting for Cycling Weekly. He also specialises in fitness writing, often throwing himself into the deep end to help readers improve their own power numbers. Away from the desk, Alex can be found racing time trials, riding BMX and mountain bikes, or exploring off-road on his gravel bike. He’s also an avid gamer, and can usually be found buried in an eclectic selection of books.
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