President Donald Trump railed against NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace earlier this morning, falsely accusing him of a “hoax” after a noose was found in Wallace’s garage stall at Talladega Superspeedway.
“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?”
The president also defended the display of Confederate flags at NASCAR events, saying: “That & Flag decision has caused lowest ratings EVER!”
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? That & Flag decision has caused lowest ratings EVER!
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— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 6, 2020
Last month, an investigation by the FBI concluded that Wallace was not the victim of a hate crime, though photographs showed what was clearly a noose. The FBI’s determination led to criticism for Wallace, who was accused of orchestrating the incident. NASCAR defended Wallace, saying he “and the 43 team had nothing to do with this.” The controversy took place just after NASCAR announced it would ban the display of the Confederate flag at its events.
Wallace was never formally suspected of staging the incident.
“I’m mad because people are trying to test my character and the person that I am and my integrity,” he told CNN last month. “I’m mad because people are trying to test my character and the person that I am and my integrity. It will piss me off, absolutely. But that only fuels the competitive drive in me to shut everybody up.”
Alan is a writer, editor, and news junkie based in New York.
