President Donald Trump’s Grand Prix IndyCar race on the National Mall is spurring alarm over grift and traffic in Washington, D.C.
Trump set in motion the Freedom 250 Grand Prix with a January executive order. It’s meant to cap a summer of Trump-backed events celebrating the country’s 250th anniversary.
Ahead of the race on Sunday, critics called out the event. Rep. Jared Huffman (D-CA) wrote in a post on X that he’s alarmed to see the event affiliated with Freedom 250, which he described as a corrupt organization.
“Not too long ago, I was sounding the alarm about Freedom 250 — a shadow corporation riddled with corruption and self-enrichment that deceived donors, solicited foreign money, sold access to the president, and awarded no-bid contracts to Trump loyalists,” Huffman wrote. “So it’s concerning to see Trump’s Grand Prix on the National Mall racing under its banner.”
He added, “It’s hard to imagine a better metaphor for this whole grift: Trump’s ego racing around Washington while the American people wait for answers about who has funded this operation and who has benefited.”
Ron Filipkowski, the editor-in-chief of the political news network MeidasTouch, commented on how the streets of Washington, D.C., don’t entirely seem made for an IndyCar race. Responding to a post by former NASCAR driver turned GOP Washington congressional candidate Jerrod Sessler about how “the track is VERY bumpy!” Filipkowski wrote, “I don’t think the streets of DC were designed for IndyCar races.”
Journalist Johnathan Nicholson agreed, writing, “If I were going 140 mph, I’m not sure, actually I’m pretty doubtful, I’d want to pin my safety on the effectiveness of DC Public Works in repairing potholes and bus lane ruts around the Mall.”
Jon Michael Raasch, the White House correspondent for The Daily Mail, commented on how the track has affected D.C. traffic.
“It took me almost two hours to drive 2.2 miles home from downtown DC to the Wharf,” he wrote. “This Grand Prix traffic is another level. Avoid driving this week at all costs.”
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