What did Bubba Wallace say about Trump? NASCAR driver refuses to apologize to president over past comments
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Bubba Wallace celebrating after winning the Brickyard 400 (Image via Getty)Bubba Wallace, who won 2025’s Brickyard 400 title at Indianapolis on July 27, has exchanged a few comments with President Donald Trump over the years. Wallace, who is a NASCAR Cup Series driver for 23XI Racing, has been candid about his past disagreements with Trump, and refuses to apologize to the President, as per The Spun.
Both Wallace and Trump, who feuded on social media in 2020, were present at the Daytona 500 in Florida earlier this year in February. While Wallace was competing in the race, President Trump made a much-anticipated appearance at the Daytona International Speedway, as per USA Today.
The Spun noted that while other NASCAR drivers competing at Daytona looked forward to Trump’s visit at the Speedway, Wallace said that he “couldn't care less.” As per the outlet, he also added,
“We're here to race. Not for the show.”
What happened between Bubba Wallace and President Donald Trump?
As an African-American driver in the NASCAR, Bubba Wallace has achieved notable milestones such as becoming the first Black driver to be at the head of a lap in the Daytona 500, and becoming the only Black driver to have the highest finish at the race at number two, as per ESPN.
Wallace’s family has also been candid about the driver’s struggles and the way he faced racism on the road to his success.
The Charlotte Observer reported that Wallace’s mother, Desiree recounted a number of instances when Wallace was called racial slurs as a child on the racetracks.
As per the publication, Wallace’s mother responded to the racism faced by her son, and said,
“I just told Bubba, ‘The best thing for you to do is just to go out there and win, because people are going to feel the way they feel. And there’s nothing that you can do about it’…‘When they see you, they see you as a Black driver, period.’”
Wallace was quite familiar with the effects of being a Black driver, and was also subjected to a racial profiling incident while being pulled over by troopers when he was 18, as per The Charlotte Observer.
Wallace has been open about his experiences as a Black driver. In 2020, when the nation was coming to terms with the George Floyd incident and the Black Lives Matter movement was raging on, he lent his support to the movement and called on NASCAR to ban Confederate flags from its events in June 2020.
According to The Boston Globe, NASCAR heeded Wallace’s words and banned the flag before a race at the Martinsville Speedway a few days later.
However, soon a noose was found in a garage assigned to the driver at the Talladega Superspeedway for the Geico 500. As per BBC, the noose is a symbol related to the racially charged crime of lynching.
The noose prompted an investigation by the FBI, which declared that the rope had been present at the garage since 2019, and "no federal crime was committed,” according to BBC.
Meanwhile, Wallace, who had received gestures of support by his fellow drivers, was accused of perpetuating a hoax by Donald Trump, who wrote in a tweet,
“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!”
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!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 6, 2020Trump’s tweet also targeted the league’s decision to disallow Confederate flags from its races.
In response to Trump’s tweet, Wallace clapped back through a statement released via social media. Taking to X (then Twitter), Wallace wrote,
“To the next generation and little ones following my foot steps…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.”
Continuing, Wallace also referred to Trump’s comments against him, and wrote,
“Last thing, 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. Even when it's HATE from the POTUS..Love wins”
After the social media feud with Trump, Fox 13 reports that Wallace largely avoided taking political stands on social media to avoid the “negativity” that it perpetrates in his life.
TOPICS: Bubba Wallace, Donald Trump, NASCAR