RACE TO THE BOTTOM

Trump Wrongly Accuses NASCAR Driver Bubba Wallace of Noose ‘Hoax,’ Defends Confederate Flag

The president blamed top racing circuit’s sole Black driver and banning the Confederate flag for NASCAR’s “poor ratings.”

President Donald Trump kicked off the week by slamming NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace, falsely accusing him of a “hoax” after a suspected noose was found hanging in his garage at Alabama’s Talladega Superspeedway last month. NASCAR officials found the rope—and informed Wallace of its existence—weeks after it banned the racist Confederate flag from events. The FBI investigated and declared that the rope should not be considered a hate crime, though photos emerged showing it was clearly a noose. “Has @BubbaWallace apologized to all of those great NASCAR drivers & officials who came to his aid, stood by his side, & were willing to sacrifice everything for him, only to find out that the whole thing was just another HOAX?” Trump tweeted Monday morning before slamming the racing organization for banning the Confederate flag. “That & Flag decision has caused lowest ratings EVER!”

Shortly after the president’s post, an executive from Fox Sports pointed out that NASCAR’s TV ratings are actually up 8 percent since the races resumed in May.