Donald Trump just lost NASCAR
In a sign of the times, NASCAR announced today that it’s finally banning the confederate flag from its races and properties. It’s a major, if way-too-belated, step for a sport where fans in the infield used to fly a sea of confederate flags during races. NASCAR understands that it has to grudgingly get with the times if it wants to remain financially viable in an evolving society.
Then there’s Donald Trump. At nearly the exact same time NASCAR was banning the confederate flag today, Trump was announcing his refusal to even consider changing the names of the handful of U.S. military bases that are named for confederate traitors. Trump surely wishes that NASCAR would back him up on his pro-confederacy stances, but the smart money is moving on.
Donald Trump seems to think that he can still gain votes by pushing racial divisiveness. That may have worked in building his base to begin with. But his sinking poll numbers make more clear than ever that his racist base alone isn’t enough to float him. Trump may be pandering to the NASCAR crowd, but even NASCAR understands that things are changing – and Trump just doesn’t get it.
