Jemele Hill: Trump Bubba Wallace Tweet ‘Repulsive,’ ‘Unbefitting’

Jemele Hill, a contributing writer for The Atlantic, on Tuesday ripped President Donald Trump for his Monday tweet which called on NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace to apologize for his role in advancing the alleged noose “HOAX.”

The “noose” found in Wallace’s Talladega garage stall was reported by a Wallace team member and was later found after an investigation to be a garage door pull rope instead of a hate crime.

Hill, a former ESPN anchor, on MSNBC’s “Andrea Mitchell Reports” called Trump’s tweet “repulsive” and “unbefitting” of a president, adding it was an attempt to “sick his base on Bubba Wallace” and “invite” a broader target on the series’ only back driver.

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, 2020

“When in doubt, [Trump] tries to stoke and provoke the most racial tension possible,” Hill outlined. “He has now sicked his base on Bubba Wallace, who did nothing wrong. Bubba Wallace who didn’t even report that there was a noose found in his garage. He was told by a NASCAR official.  They investigated it, they found he was not a target of a hate crime, and what exactly is he apologizing for? And so, rather than seeing this as the opportunity or a chance to see that NASCAR, which itself has been caught in racial tensions because of the Confederate flag being such a hallmark of their sport, them banning that, and now with Bubba Wallace, showing him support, rather than celebrating that, you have a president who is only trying to invite more of a broader target upon a driver who already has to deal with enough. I mean, it’s one thing to be the only full-time black driver in a sport like NASCAR, the one who has been very vocal about Black Lives Matter and about the banning of the Confederate flag. And now you have the president purposely sending more hatred your way is just really repulsive, frankly, and it’s unbefitting of somebody in Donald Trump’s position.”

Follow Trent Baker on Twitter @MagnifiTrent