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Bubba Wallace responds to Trump: 'Love over hate every day'

Bubba Wallace responds to Trump: 'Love over hate every day'

Tyler Lauletta

President Donald Trump attacked NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace in a bizarre tweet on Monday.
Wallace responded in kind on Twitter. "Love over hate every day," Wallace wrote. "Even when it's HATE from the POTUS."
Trump's claims that NASCAR was suffering from its "lowest ratings EVER!" were also quickly proven false, as NBC reported that Sunday's broadcast of the Brickyard 400 was up 40% over last year.

NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace called for "love over hate" after President Donald Trump singled him out on Twitter on Monday.

Trump began his week delving into the sports world once again in a move reminiscent of his previous criticisms of NFL players who protest police brutality by kneeling for the national anthem. On Monday, Trump called out Bubba Wallace, the only Black driver in NASCAR, for what he attempted to frame as a "hoax" regarding a noose that had found in Wallace's garage stall two weeks ago.

"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 asked on Twitter. "That & Flag decision has caused lowest ratings EVER!"

An investigation would ultimately reveal that the noose found in Wallace's stall was not a direct hate crime against him, but instead had been left there for eight months after being used as a garage pull last October. But despite the fact that the incident was not a hate crime, it was far from a hoax. NASCAR provided a picture of the noose as it was found hanging, immediately making clear why the racing league and Wallace's team had perceived it as such a threat.

But despite having Trump's heated rhetoric aimed at him, Wallace would respond with grace, writing a note "To the next generation and little ones following my footsteps."

"Your words and actions will always be held to a higher standard than others. You have to be prepared for that," Wallace wrote on Twitter. "You don't learn these things in school. You learn them from trials and tribulations, the ups and downs this crazy world provides."

"God put us all here for a reason. Find that reason and be proud of it and work your tails off every day towards it! All the haters are doing is elevating your voice and platform to much greater heights!"

Wallace concluded his statement by directly addressing Trump and his comments.

"Last thing, always deal with hate being thrown at you with LOVE! Love over hate every day. Love should come naturally as people are TAUGHT to hate," Wallace wrote. "Even when it's HATE from the POTUS."

Wallace signed off his letter with, "Love wins."

—Bubba Wallace (@BubbaWallace) July 6, 2020

Despite Trump's comments, both NASCAR and Wallace have been doing well over the past few weeks, even with the heightened attention surrounding the sport.

Trump's criticism that NASCAR was getting its "lowest ratings EVER!" was dismissed quickly.

NBC, which carried the broadcast of Sunday's Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, tweeted out that ratings of the race were up 40% over last year.