Karl Rove: Trump not 'advancing his cause' by tweeting about NASCAR
Karl Rove weighs in on President Trump blasting NASCAR's noose incident as a 'hoax'
In a stark warning to President Trump ahead of November's presidential election, former White House Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove said Tuesday that the president should focus more on the issues Americans care about like the recent surge in gun violence in major cities across the country.
In an interview on "America's Newsroom" with host Sandra Smith, Rove said that the president had given a "remarkable" Independence Day address discussing American values and the nation's heroes. However, according to Rove, when he tweeted to the American public on Monday, he unambiguously did not draw from his speech or advance his cause.
NASCAR'S BUBBA WALLACE HITS BACK AT 'HATE' FROM TRUMP
The president came under fire after accusing NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace of not apologizing after a highly publicized investigation over a rope found in his garage supposedly turned out to be a hoax.
The president suggested Wallace, the auto racing company’s only Black driver, should apologize to the people who had supported him following a federal investigation last month that showed the noose a teammate had found in his assigned stall at Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama was not a hate crime.
"Has @BubbaWallace apologized to all of those great NASCAR drivers & officials who came to his aid, stood by his side, & were willing to sacrifice everything for him, only to find out that the whole thing was just another HOAX?" Trump tweeted. "That & Flag decision has caused lowest ratings EVER!"
Wallace responded on Twitter with a note to "the next generation and little ones following my foot steps" in which he urged people to use their platforms and not be distracted by "hate being thrown at you."
"Love should come naturally as people are TAUGHT to hate," Wallace tweeted. "Even when it's HATE from the POTUS .. Love wins."
"The president has a limited number of days between now and the election. And, when he tweets, it's a powerful message and the question is does that message continue to advance the narrative that he and those around him decided that he would lay out on Saturday at Mount Rushmore?" asked Rove. "And the answer is, no. it didn't."
White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany scolded reporters during Monday's press briefing for failing to ask a single question about recent violence, which resulted in the deaths of at least six children.
"I'd end with this, I was asked probably 12 questions about the Confederate flag. This president is focused on action, and I'm a little dismayed that I didn't receive one question on the deaths that we got in the country this weekend," she stated.
Rove said that while McEnanty had posed a good question, this answer was because the president hadn't tweeted about it in the first place.
"Why should we be surprised that the White House press corps tries to take any opening that they have where the president has done something like attack the only African American NASCAR driver and seemingly defend the use of the Confederate flag? Why should we be surprised that they’re focused on that rather than a big event that’s happening in America – namely the violence that is occurring in our major cities and communities of color where people are not getting adequate police protection?" he added. "Why? Of course, they were going to pick at something that would hurt the president."
"But, the president advances his cause when he uses his powerful voice that he has to advance his cause," Rove told Smith. "And he could have advanced his cause on Monday by, instead of tweeting about Bubba Wallace, instead tweeting about the names of these young Black girls and boys who were killed in acts of needless violence in America’s major cities."
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Rove argued that the American electorate is not concerned about the Confederate flag, but they are "deeply concerned" about violent crimes.
"As the president laid out the predicate on Saturday in [his] speech at Mount Rushmore, he could have followed up on Monday by drawing attention to it. And, he could advance his cause in the election year by paying more attention to the things that Americans care about like the violence that’s occurring in our major cities," he said.
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