NASCAR driver Tyler Reddick criticizes Trump in since-deleted tweet after the president baselessly accused Bubba Wallace of noose 'hoax'
- President Donald Trump attacked NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace in a bizarre tweet asking if he had apologized yet for the noose "hoax."
- Fellow driver Tyler Reddick tweeted in response to the president, "We don't need an apology. We did what was right and we will do just fine without your support."
- Reddick's tweet was deleted shortly after it was posted.
President Donald Trump once again waded into the sports world on Monday, attacking NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace in a tweet referencing the noose found in his track garage.
In a tweet reminiscent of his criticisms of NFL players who have protested police brutality by kneeling during the national anthem, Trump singled out the only Black driver in NASCAR, saying he should apologize for what he baselessly characterized as a "hoax" after a noose was found in his garage stall.
"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!"
Trump was referring two weeks ago when NASCAR announced that a noose had been found in Wallace's garage. The racing community responded by rallying around Wallace, in an impressive moment of solidarity. An investigation later found that the noose was not a direct racist attack against Wallace, as it had been hanging in the same spot as far back as October, long before he had been assigned the stall.
Trump's reference to a "hoax" echoes the view of some who accused Wallace of seeking publicity over the incident, but a photo from NASCAR indicated why the noose had been seen as a threat.
Shortly after Trump's tweet, another driver responded in defense of Wallace. Tyler Reddick, who drives the No. 8 car for Richard Childress Racing, called out the president for his divisive rhetoric.
"We don't need an apology," Reddick wrote, in a tweet accompanied by a GIF of Denzel Washington slamming a door. "We did what was right and we will do just fine without your support."
The tweet was deleted shortly after it was posted.
Since then, Wallace has come out with a response of his own.
"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," Wallace wrote. "Even when it's HATE from the POTUS."
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