Trump’s Freedom 250 Grand Prix Takes Over the National Mall
The upcoming Freedom 250 Grand Prix is making the National Mall look more like a sideshow.
Photos of the preparation for the Indycar race this weekend show grandstands, finish lines, and signage all around the area in the nation’s capital.
It’s unusual to see corporate signage and bleachers near the Capitol building, but that’s how President Trump wants to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
The roads around the Mall are normally devoted to cars and tour buses at this time of year as tourists visit its national landmarks, museums, and monuments.
But the streets look eerily empty except for construction workers, vehicles, and the barriers that will turn the area into a racetrack.
The Mall has been through a lot in Trump’s second term, from the heavily botched https://newrepublic.com/post/213251/empty-reflecting-pool-doj-vandalism-case-brink-collapse" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">renovation of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool to that sparsely attended flop known as the https://newrepublic.com/article/212455/trump-great-american-state-fair-review" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Great American State Fair.
He https://newrepublic.com/post/214405/trump-vandalism-reflecting-pool-national-mall" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">damaged the grass with his Independence Day celebrations and blamed nonexistent vandals for it when it was his own fault, just like with the pool disaster.
Now, the capital of the United States of America is about to see its first ever auto race.
Under any other president, this might be considered cool, but now, the public is wondering not only how he’ll mess it up, but the damage he could cause to important national landmarks.