Donald Trump seems to have a talent for ruffling feathers. This time, the President got under people's skin by suggesting that NASCAR racer, Bubba Wallace, created a "hoax" when reporting that a noose was hanging from his garage and that he should apologize to the public.
Like a lot of his incendiary comments, Trump's recent remarks came via his Twitter.
"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 on Monday.
Last month, Bubba Wallace—who is the only Black professional driver competing in NASCAR—reported that a noose was hanging in his locker. This sparked outrage from fans and others, leading the FBI to spark an investigation. After looking into the incident, the FBI concluded that the noose "was not an intentional, racist act." Wallace expressed that he was frustrated by the FBI's findings because he felt like it was clearly a noose and not related to any garage necessity.
Wallace encountered the noose just a week after he successfully lobbied NASCAR to ban the Confederate Flag. The flag was associated with the sport and promoted by fans. But as a Black man, Wallace felt like this symbol of oppression shouldn't be allowed at NASCAR events. Wallace's actions may have been progressive, but Trump feels like the noose incident and Wallace's Confederate Flag complaints hurt the sport.
"That & Flag decision has caused lowest ratings EVER!" Trump's tweet concluded.
People are ripping into the President because it appears like he's putting ratings over racial progression. Also, he's insinuating that Wallace is lying about seeing and experiencing a noose.
Bubba responded on Twitter, writing, "Always deal with the hate being thrown at you with LOVE! Love over hate every day. Love should come naturally as people are TAUGHT to hate. Even when it's HATE from the POTUS."
