Donald Trump addresses largest gathering of bikers on Memorial Day

Motorcyclists ride their bikes during the annual Rolling Thunder "Ride for Freedom" parade ahead of Memorial Day in Washington, DC, on May 29, 2016. (AFP)

Thousands of motorcyclists hit the streets of the US capital to celebrate the Memorial Day, from which Americans are apparently becoming estranged increasingly, with Donald Trump ending up as the one who addresses one of the largest gathering of bikers in the country.

Bikers of the Rolling Thunder, an advocacy group for American soldiers and war veterans, started their "Ride for Freedom" parade from the Pentagon and finally gathered in front of the Lincoln Memorial, where the real estate titan addressed them on Sunday.

Frustrated with President Barack Obama and US lawmakers, the bikers “shared affection” with Trump as the New York Times described it.

“The Manhattan real estate mogul who boasts about his wealth, maintains a fleet of aircraft and sells his own brand of neckties, paid respects on Sunday to an incongruous constituency,” read the daily’s report.

Trump waves to veterans and supporters after an event at the annual Rolling Thunder parade. (AFP)

Trump said US war veterans “have been treated so badly in this country” while illegal immigrants are taken better care of.

"We have to rebuild our military. It's been decimated," he said, vowing to “knock the hell out" of Daesh (ISIL) terrorists, if he wins the White House.

The billionaire also lamented the size of the crowd that failed to fill the space cordoned off by police, saying, “I thought this would be like Dr. Martin Luther King, where the people would be lined up from here all the way to the Washington Monument.”

He pointed the finger at the organizers as he had passed huge crowds on the way including “the most beautiful bikes I’ve ever seen in my life.”

Having tuned the event into a political rally for the 2016 presidential race, the presumptive Republican nominee also promised to name the veteran groups receiving the $6 million he had promised in a January fundraiser this week.

People watch as Trump speaks. (AFP)

A day off of work on Monday

First organized in 1988, the event is an attempt to grab the nation’s attention to pay respect to those who died while serving in the armed forces, on the last Monday of May, a day which is becoming less and less important to Americans.

A video released on Youtube Wednesday, showed American author Mark Dice asking “clueless” beachgoers in San Diego what the holiday was for.

“Many Americans are clueless about what Memorial Day means and why it is a holiday in the United States. Many think it's just a three day weekend and an excuse to get drunk,” he concluded.

The answers he gets to the question on what the day is all about included: “Do I have to do this?”, “I love the LGBT community… I’m all about it.”, “No clue, that’s my answer.”, and “a day off of work on Monday.”