TALLADEGA, ALABAMA – JUNE 22: Bubba Wallace, driver of the #43 Victory Junction Chevrolet, takes a moment by his car after NASCAR drivers pushed him to the front of the grid as a sign of solidarity with the driver prior to the NASCAR Cup Series GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on June 22, 2020 in Talladega, Alabama. A noose was found in the garage stall of NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace at Talladega Superspeedway a week after the organization banned the Confederate flag at its facilities. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
President Donald Trump called out NASCAR’s Bubba Wallace over noose incident at Talladega.
Bubba Wallace has faced criticism from some corners of the internet after the FBI deemed a noose found in his garage at Talladega Superspeedway was in fact not a hate crime, despite evidence to the contrary. Of course, Wallace did not intend to be the center of attention, but given the times we currently live in with racial inequality demonstrations erupting across the country, it’s understandable that the 26-year-old would want NASCAR and the proper authorities to investigate.
Unfortunately, President Trump has opted to bring the story back to light for all the wrong reasons, taking to Twitter to call out Wallace for…not apologizing?
Donald Trump attacked Bubba Wallace on Twitter, and the NASCAR driver released a statement in response.
Trump accused Wallace and NASCAR of trying to sweep this incident under the rug as if they were doing anything but their due diligence. To Wallace’s credit, the rope hanging on the door did look exactly like a noose, and NASCAR was right to investigate. Trump paired this incident together with the sport’s decision to ban the Confederate flag to rile up his base.
The President has long used his Twitter fingers to earn a response from some of the game’s greatest athletes, but he frequently comes up short. While Wallace’s incident was, thankfully, not a hate crime, it did provide us with a beautiful symbol of unity in a sport that for so long lacked just that.
Wallace is on an island in a sport that for so long discouraged African-American participation, willingly or not. For Trump to wish for a return to those times is shortsighted and insulting to an entire group of people who finally feel accepted in the sport they love.