By: Ashley McCubbin

Just as it seemed discussion was beginning to quiet down about the noose found in the Talladega Superspeedway garage, that is not the case as a result of a tweet made by Donald Trump, the President of the United States, on Monday morning.

Trump sent out a tweet demanding an apology from Wallace for the “hoax” while stating it, along with banning the confederate flag, was why ratings were headed downhill.

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1280117571874951170

On Sunday June 22, NASCAR released a statement that they, alongside the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), were launching an investigation into possible hate crime after a noose found by a Richard Petty Motorsports crew member in Wallace’s stall at the speedway. The investigation conclusions were revealed the following Tuesday afternoon by the FBI that there was no hate crime committed, and the noose had been in the garage stall since at least last October.

The sanctioning body then released a photo of the noose in the garage stall on Thursday, June 25, stating they will be conducting regular sweeps of the garage area to ensure “nothing like this happens again,” while installing additional cameras for security purposes.

RELATED: FB1 Finds No Crime Committed in Noose Found at Talladega Superspeedway

RELATED: NASCAR Completes Investigation, Releases Photo of the Noose

When asked about the issue, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany defended the tweet, saying he was making “a broader point that this rush to judgment on the facts before the facts are out is not acceptable.” She also declined to comment why the president though Wallace should apologize given he did not find the noose, and would not state whether the president supports NASCAR’s ban on the confederate flag.

The sanctioning body released a statement late Monday afternoon in response.

“We are proud to have Bubba Wallace in the NASCAR family and we commend his courage and leadership,” NASCAR said. “NASCAR continues to stand tall with Bubba, our competitors and everyone who makes our sport welcoming and inclusive for all racing fans.”

Wallace also released his own statement, choosing love over hate in the moment.

Andrew Murstein, co-owner of the Richard Petty Motorsports, also released a statement calling out the President.

The team then went on to say that all questions were answered regarding the situation in a press conference by NASCAR President Steve Phelps answered all questions on June 25, with the team not having anymore to add.

While Trump claims NASCAR’s rating has gone down, that is not the case. NBC earned a 2.67 rating and 4.34 million viewers for yesterday’s NASCAR Cup Series Brickyard 400, which is up significantly from a 1.9 rating and 2.97 million for last year’s Brickyard 400. Additionally, for the races prior, FOX is up 8% in ratings since NASCAR’s return on May 17.

Several members within the NASCAR community have come out to state they stand up for Wallace. Tyler Reddick originally tweeted, “We don’t need an apology. We did what was right and we will do just fine without your support,” but the tweet has since been deleted.