In a tweet Monday morning, President Donald Trump called the noose found in June at Talladega Superspeedway a “HOAX” and questioned why Darrell “Bubba” Wallace Jr. had not apologized.
It was neither a hoax nor a staged incident, and NASCAR has repeatedly said Wallace, the only Black driver in the Cup Series, had nothing to do with its discovery. The FBI concluded no federal crime was committed and determined the noose had been in that particular garage stall since October 2019.
But more than two weeks after a member of the No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports team found the noose in its garage stall, the president smeared Wallace in a disparaging tweet with multiple lies and illogical claims.
Trump wrote: “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!”
Monday afternoon, Wallace responded with a statement on Twitter about love and not listening to haters. He said it was directed at “the next generation and little ones following my foot steps.”
To the next generation and little ones following my foot steps..#LoveWins pic.twitter.com/tVaV3pkdLe
— Bubba Wallace (@BubbaWallace) July 6, 2020
Wallace wrote:
“Your words and actions will always be held to a higher standard than others. You have to be prepared for that. You don’t learn these things in school. You learn them from trials and tribulations, the ups and downs this crazy world provides. You will always have people testing you. Seeing if they can knock you off your pedestal. I encourage you to keep your head held high and walk proudly on the path you have chosen. Never let anybody tell you [you] can’t do something! 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!
Last thing, always deal with the hate being thrown at you with LOVE! Love over hate every day. Love should some naturally as people are TAUGHT to hate.
Even when it’s HATE from the POTUS.
Love wins