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This Is How You Start a Presidential Race
President Trump brought The Beast and Air Force One to Daytona Motor Speedway Sunday. Notice that NASCAR knows its customers and is not going to alienate them. So, NASCAR invited the president to be their grand marshal for the opening race of the 2020 season, the Daytona 500.
President Trump did a fly-by with Air Force One as the crowd waited for the beginning of the big race on Sunday, then rolled into the race track with his motorcade, stepping out of The Beast to greet the crowd and start the race, He and First Lady Melania Trump led the first warm-up lap in the presidential vehicle. The race was soon shut down, as a rainstorm came in, and will end up being run on Monday, Presidents Day.
After meeting people at the speedway and delivering brief remarks, Trump kicked off the race by announcing to the drivers: “Gentlemen, start your engines!”
Engines revved, and Trump got back into the limo with his wife, Melania, for a lap around the track, with the race cars following behind. Some fans chanted “Four more years” while Trump was there.
Trump’s campaign planned to take advantage of the president’s appearance by flying an aerial banner near the speedway and running a television ad during the Fox broadcast.
Shortly after starting, the race was postponed until Monday because of rainy weather.
Here is the flyby. You can hear “USA! USA! USA!”
President Trump kept the speech short and sweet, under four minutes. He honored our military, veterans, and families, especially calling out by name several Gold Star families in attendance. He also recognized a recent Medal of Honor recipient, Staff Sergeant David Belavia, attending the race.
Here is the official Fox video of the race start:
WKMG News 6 had a very factual and fair report on their evening broadcast:
Considering Monday is Presidents Day, take a look at an AutoWeek article on presidential limos. The Henry Ford Museum, naturally, has an extensive exhibit on presidential limousines, including a good online presentation of the 1972 Lincoln Continental in which President Reagan rode.
Cheddar, an online infotainment channel, has a very nicely done short video on presidential motorcades:
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Published in General
It’s nice living close by. I prefer FDR’s ride, but that was before the world got quite so crazy.
Reactions to this whole thing:
The left is probably shouting “Abuse of power!” about this.
What fun is it being driven around the track in the back of the Beast? Did he at least try knocking on the driver’s door and say, “Get out. I’ll drive!”
I missed the AF1 flyby but caught the rest. A delight to hear the USA chants, and a delight to hear an astoundingly pure rendition of the Anthem.
When I first read this, the pic of Hailie with the Trumps had a “sensitive content” warning requiring a click before displaying the picture.
That’s Twitter for you.
I was going to add he signed the helmet of that
hot chickup-and-coming teenage girl Hailie Deegan. Too bad she wasn’t in the race . . .They should have done a burnout before he got out..
Is that a trigger warning for Lefties? Is Florida still a swing state?
There are probably some issues with the physics of the Beast.
I am not yet tired of all the winning.
Had a grin on my face all day with the thought of the Beast on the track.
Twitter is just plain evil….
Apparently this
Is for some reason “too sensitive to show”…
Yes. Maggie Haberman is having a calculated fit about official equipment being used in an event she says is a campaign event. Mind you, the event was not inside the campaign structure, but was of the same sort every president running for reelection hopes to enjoy leading up to the election. A president shows up to kick off an American sport season, paying tribute to the sport and its fans and hoping to get some credit, some positive feelings from his association with the event. Of course he rode Air Force One and of course he rode in The Beast. That is how he must travel until he is out of office.
When the left is howling and throwing their toys around you know President Trump did something right.
As to driving, I suspect he has not done so in years, and knows to leave operation of heavy equipment to professionals. It is a light armored vehicle, not a car.
Oh, understood. And I was mostly joking about it. Just like Stad was joking about burning rubber.
Now, I can imagine him a few weeks before the end of his second term having a quiet talk with the drivers and getting a day or two on an air strip or skid surface doing right seat and then driver seat.
As to burning rubber… there was no way the Secret Service was going to give away the acceleration or top speed, hence the leasurely procession around the track. There is room for a massive diesel power plant and perhaps hybrid technology, which would only be added for burst acceleration, like in Formula 1.
Go Him! Seriously…this is the unstated advantage of being the U.S. president in an election year: you can (and should) go to Big American Events as the president. The people who are there are probably going to vote for him, anyway. They are the the people who are pro-America, and this president truly is that, too–pro-America.
Semi-related to main story: When I taught school in Maryland, our school was located in the county directly south of the county with Andrews Air Force Base. There were many times when I was on the playground for recess duty and I’d see Air Force One on its slow descent to Andrews. It was pretty cool looking. My students were somewhat jaded, having lived between two big air bases their whole lives: Naval Air Station Pax River (lots of fighter jets) and Andrews AFB. So, many of them had seen Air Force One, and were only mildly impressed when their nutty 4th grade teacher would excitedly point it out.
I love Nascar. Man and machine. Individual and team. Courage, intelligence, and grit. I’ve even written a Nascar haiku:
Roar! Blur of speed, steel
Screech burnt rubber, courage sings
4, the checkered flag
WASHINGTON
As America’s first family enjoys its eighth and final vacation in Hawaii, new estimates put the price tag of the Obamas’ annual trip at $3.5 million or more.
In total, the cost of the the first family’s personal or largely personal travel during the last eight years comes to $85 million – though that is likely to climb to $90 million after additional records are released, according to the conservative group Judicial Watch based on federal government records.
The cost of Air Force One and other government planes as well as helicopters, cargo planes, armored cars, Secret Service protection and advance, communications and medical staff has led Judicial Watch to push for less personal travel.
Read more here: https://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/politics-government/white-house/article123335079.html#storylink=cpy
I always thought that this pre-race prayer summed up NASCAR quite well.
Amen!
Not bad. Definitely knows the crowd.
Can you imagine President Sanders screaming that we have to get rid of that ostentatious Beast and that his own car will be used for official transportation (HT Kozak) Sorry, don’t know how to embed a twitter vid:
https://mobile.twitter.com/CarpeDonktum/status/1227447501449502728