#Trump says flying Confederate flag is a ‘freedom of speech’ issue

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A Trump “Make America Great Again!” flag flies below the confederate flag near Motor Bristol Speedway in Bristol, TN.
Boston Globe via Getty Images

President Trump said the decision whether to fly the Confederate flag comes down to “freedom of speech,” after he blasted NASCAR for banning the flag at its race events.

“My stance is very simple: It’s freedom of speech,” Trump said in an interview with Nexstar broadcasting on Tuesday at the White House.

“You do what you do. It’s freedom of speech,” the president said. “NASCAR can do whatever they want, and they’ve chosen to go a certain way, other people choose to go a different route.”

Trump said his Monday tweet about NASCAR wasn’t meant to be critical.

“I was just talking about the fact that NASCAR chose to go a certain way and that’s going to be up to them. That is up to them,” he said.

In the post, Trump also suggested that Bubba Wallace apologize after he assumed a “noose” that was found in his garage stall last month was a hate crime, and the FBI later determined it was a garage pull that had been there since October, 2019.

“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?,” Trump said. “That & Flag decision has caused lowest ratings EVER!”

The rope was found at the Talladega Speedway by a member of Richard Petty Motorsports who alerted Wallace’s crew.

The FBI, following an investigation, said video showed the noose had been hanging in the stall since at least October.

Protests following the death of George Floyd while in Minneapolis police custody have focused on reforming law enforcement agencies, but have also included toppling the statues of historical figures as well as calls for US military bases bearing the names of Confederate soldiers to be renamed.

NASCAR announced last month that it would ban the flag at its events and properties after Wallace urged the organization to remove the flags because “no one should feel uncomfortable when they come to a NASCAR race.”