Donald Trump sent NASCAR fans wild at the Daytona 500 on Sunday afternoon as Air Force One flew over the track in Florida before he was driven two laps around the circuit in The Beast.
The President’s plane was cheered by thousands of fans as it roared over the racetrack, with Trump making it a second straight weekend of high-profile appearances at sporting events.
Last Sunday, he made history by becoming the first sitting President to attend a Super Bowl when he headed to New Orleans to watch the Philadelphia Eagles beat the Kansas City Chiefs.
This weekend, the President’s motorcade drove straight onto the track in Florida and traveled a short distance in front of the NASCAR fans packed into the stands before it entered a secure area. He later returned onto the track, with his motorcade doing two laps before the race started.
As Trump stood for the national anthem, he made a brief appearance on the jumbotron that was met with a massive cheer by the thousands of fans in the stadium, ready for The Great American Race.
‘I think it’s fantastic, it’s great for the country,’ Trump told Fox. ‘Our country is doing well again, we have spirit all over the world. We brought it back and it’s been less than four weeks, so you’ll see what we do in a little period of time. It’s only going to get better. This is very exciting.’
Donald Trump waves to NASCAR fans as he holds the hand of granddaughter Caroline
President Trump was given a huge reception by the thousands of fans at the circuit
Trump pictured after landing in Florida ahead of his appearance at the Daytona 500 on Sunday
Trump promptly put on a MAGA hat before making the short journey towards the circuit
Trump salutes his supporters moments after arriving at the track for the race
He continued: ‘I understand they’ll be going quite quickly. They have a lot of courage, I see it and I’ve been here. They have a lot of guts.’
Trump’s plane touched down shortly after 1pm and he descended the front stairs of Air Force One carrying several red MAGA hats. He was followed by Eric and Lara Trump and two of their children.
On a windy day in Florida, Trump put on one of the MAGA hats, matching his red tie, and stopped for several minutes to speak to greeters, which appeared to include Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia.
Before his face had even been shown on television, his attendance on Sunday sparked an inevitable liberal meltdown on social media.
One fan took to X to say Fox was showing too much of Trump by broadcasting Air Force One circling over the track.
‘Fox you’ve got liberal fans of NASCAR,’ one said. ‘Can we treat Donald Trump like Taylor Swift and show him sparingly. Really don’t need glory shots of AF1 landing.’
Another said: ‘As a fan of NASCAR I am watching the 500 to watch the race. I am not interested nor do I care about Donald Trump being at the race. I want to watch a race and the drivers. NOT Donald Trump.’
A different complainant posted: ‘It wasn’t bad enough that Donald Trump wasted millions attending half of the Super Bowl last weekend… But now he’s attending the NASCAR Daytona 500. How much is hosing the taxpayers for today?’
Trump landed with his son Eric and his granddaughter Caroline ahead of the big race
Trump flew over the circuit in his Air Force One plane shortly before landing for the race
�� WATCH: President Trump just did an EPIC flyover at the Daytona 500
The crowd went absolutely WILD! ��
It’s like one big MAGA rally!
pic.twitter.com/VujMEBZpZo— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) February 16, 2025
While Trump’s Super Bowl attendance was a first for a sitting President, the NASCAR appearance on Sunday isn’t quite as historical – Trump made a visit to the event during his first term as president.
It’s the third time overall in history that a sitting President has made it the biggest day in the racing calendar.
The start of the race had been moved forward an hour due to bad weather, with rain forecast in the area later on Sunday.
At the Super Bowl last weekend, Trump left the game in the third quarter as the Eagles recorded a surprisingly easy 40-22 victory over the Chiefs.
On his way back to the White House, Trump targeted Taylor Swift on Truth Social – mocking the singer for being booed on the jumbotron as she cheered Travis Kelce on in the game.
‘The only one that had a tougher night than the Kansas City Chiefs was Taylor Swift. She got BOOED out of the Stadium. MAGA is very unforgiving!’ Trump wrote.
