The 2020 @realdonaldtrump "No Apologies" Tour continues:
Not content with defending monuments to secessionists and slave traders, Trump signaled on Monday that he favors using the Confederate flag at sporting events. He did so in a tweet that attempted to shame Bubba Wallace, the
Not content with defending monuments to secessionists and slave traders, Trump signaled on Monday that he favors using the Confederate flag at sporting events. He did so in a tweet that attempted to shame Bubba Wallace, the
only Black NASCAR driver. Mr. Wallace’s pit crew found a noose in his newly assigned racing stall and assumed (incorrectly) that it was meant as an intimidation tactic against Mr. Wallace, who had recently voiced opposition to the use of the Confederate flag at NASCAR events.
NASCAR fans and rallied to Bubba’s defense before it was revealed that the noose had been in that stall for two years. Complicated? You bet. But Trump cut through the complexity by slamming Bubba and praising the Confederate flag. Trump tweeted
Has BubbaWallace apologized to all
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!
While Trump’s tweets are never a model of clarity, one reading of the tweet suggests that he favors the use of Confederate flags at NASCAR races because it helps television ratings. Even the double-talking White House Press Secretary, Kayleigh McEnany, couldn’t come up with
enough spin to defend Trump’s tweet. See The Week, “White House claims Trump's Confederate flag tweet was taken 'out of context,' but won't clarify his position.” See also, Talking Points Memo, “WH Struggles To Explain Trump’s Tweet Seemingly Defending Confederate Flag.”
People frequently tell me I shouldn’t spend time discussing Trump’s tweets. In my defense, I am saving you the trouble of following him on Twitter. More importantly, that is how he communicates with his followers—and the rest of the world. When he has gone so far over the line
that his own Press Secretary can’t summon the gall to defend his Tweets, you know he is losing it. Even Lindsey Graham couldn’t muster the self-debasement necessary to grovel in Trump’s defense. See The Hill, “Lindsey Graham defends NASCAR, Bubba Wallace amid Trump criticism.”
(“[O]ne way you grow the sport is you take images that divide us and ask that they not be brought into the venue.”)
Republicans know that Trump’s culture war and defense of the Old South is a losing strategy, but the GOP can do nothing to stop him. Their next best strategy is to
Republicans know that Trump’s culture war and defense of the Old South is a losing strategy, but the GOP can do nothing to stop him. Their next best strategy is to
pretend he doesn’t exist. See WaPo, “What 11 Republican senators had to say about Trump’s racism.” Spoiler alert, they didn’t have anything to say—because they know they are in a lose-lose position with Trump. They can’t quit on him, but they can’t defend him, either. Whichever
choice they make, they will alienate some part of their constituency. Good. They deserve their fate after defending Trump for three and a half years. @jimcramer @tomkeene @cnbcfastmoney @SquawkCNBC @riskreversal @ScottWapnerCNBC
