Donald Trump had a bit of a mix-up at first. He didn’t quite know how to wave the green flag until his wife, Melania Trump, and Command Sgt Maj Matt Williams stepped in to help. Once he got it right, he waved that flag with enthusiasm like an eager child. The race was on – marking his takeover of Washington DC.
Since making his way back to Washington, Trump has called in the national guard, disrupted the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool, taken down part of the East Wing of the White House, and run the John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts into chaos. His image is everywhere at the Department of Justice, and he still dreams big about building a triumphal arch fit for a Roman emperor.
On Sunday, he made waves in the nation’s capital with fast cars zooming around a 1.7-mile street circuit during Indy Car’s Freedom 250 Grand Prix, celebrating 250 years of American independence with a distinct MAGA twist.
Donald Trump claims Indy Car had been trying to host a race in Washington ‘for 20 years’. Photograph: Allison Robbert/AP
Washington wasn’t exactly designed for a moving Trump rally and needed some adjustments, much like a party host preparing for an overly loud guest. Over 200 manhole covers were secured around the course so they wouldn’t get sucked up by speeding cars. The National Gallery of Art even looked into how vibrations from the race might affect its exhibits and took steps to protect some outdoor sculptures.
As those vehicles zipped past landmarks like the National Archives-home to America’s delicate founding documents-and the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum-where Neil Armstrong’s spacesuit requires careful monitoring-it was easy to picture anxious curators flinching at every bump or spill.
But it seemed like Trump wasn’t worried at all. Although officially open to everyone – with DC’s Democratic mayor Muriel Bowser shouting “Drivers, to your cars!” – there was definitely a uniquely Trump vibe reminiscent of June’s Ultimate Fighting Championship events on the White House South Lawn.
Guests included UFC promoter Dana White, testosterone-fueled Pete Hegseth, and “human printer” Natalie Harp-who eagerly awaited Trump’s presence much like Penelope awaited Odysseus-while democratic socialists were noticeably absent. Indy Car isn’t known for being politically correct either way.
Dressed in a dark blue suit with a white shirt and red tie, Trump celebrated by giving fist pumps and shaking hands with Indy Car drivers as they posed for photos together; he flashed his signature thumbs up while sunlight glinted off the US Capitol dome behind them.
Trump gave a brief TV interview to Fox News where he explained why bringing Indy Cars to DC was significant: “Well, Roger [Penske, who owns Indy Car] told me they’ve been trying to do it for 20 years; I think he said he’s come down here 211 times trying to make it happen. And when he came to see Trump, we got it done in about 15 minutes-it turned out bigger than we ever thought possible.”
Trump has inserted himself into UFC fights, the football World Cup final and the Patriot Games in recent months. Photograph: Mike Kropf/Getty Images
In other words: every previous administration thought this plan was insane and told Penske no thanks. Note also his classic reference to “Trump” in third person along with boasting that only he could make it happen-in just 15 minutes (if only fixing global issues were that simple).
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A ceremonial trundle
True to form, Trump also bragged about how many people showed up while once again claiming superior weather knowledge over meteorologists: “You know I heard rain forecasts all week long-‘It’s gonna rain.’ I said: ‘No way!’ Today is as nice as I’ve seen in Washington for ages.” He then climbed into his armored limousine-the Beast-with flags flying high and lights flashing before taking a ceremonial lap around the track. Was that Harp chasing after him? Or hiding somewhere inside? Nope! But we did see that Qatari-gifted plane used as Air Force One flying overhead alongside four fighter jets. More than 200 manhole covers were welded down around the course in Washington DC. Photograph: Mike Kropf/Getty Images Christopher Macchio-a favorite singer of Trump’s-performed The Star-Spangled Banner as Trump saluted while Melania stood nearby wearing a white blouse with her hand on her heart inside their temporary air-conditioned presidential box. A trained bald eagle took flight near where racing started before swooping overhead back toward its handler below. Military aircraft including B-2 stealth bombers flew over too; air traffic at Ronald Reagan National Airport was halted for three hours just so they could pass safely through. Interior secretary Doug Burgum-another loyal supporter-yelled out: “Gentlemen, start your engines!” The race kicked off with drivers completing 147 laps covering roughly 250 miles (400km), resulting in an American win by Kyle Kirkwood. Trump’s limousine mounted with flags and flashing blue and red lights trundled a ceremonial lap of the track. Photograph: Finn Gomez/Getty Images This event added another chapter to what’s been quite an active sporting summer where Trump’s been involved not just with UFC fights but also football World Cup finals alongside something called Patriot Games-a mix between game shows plus sports meets aimed at teens. Never missing an opportunity show loyalty towards him lately seems Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson who expressed interest on Fox News about returning next year for more Indy Car action making this an annual thing!Source link
