Trump Unveils Another Tacky National Mall Takeover

First came the UFC cage fight on the White House South Lawn.

Then came the tacky plywood arch and the giant Ferris wheel at the Great American State Fair.

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As the Rocky anthem “Eye of the Tiger” blared over the speakers, Trump appeared at the White House on Monday alongside IndyCar drivers, team owners and race officials declaring that the street race would take place in 41 days.

After being given his own personalized helmet by IndyCar boss Robert Penske, the 80-year-old president watched enthusiastically as a race car, parked between the West Wing and the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, did a live pit-stop demonstration with mechanics showing off the lightning-fast tire changes that have become synonymous with the sport.

The unprecedented event will take place around the National Mall and some of Washington’s most recognizable landmarks, with cars expected to zoom across Pennsylvania Avenue and surrounding streets at more than 190 miles per hour (the normal speed limit is between 25 and 30 miles per hour).

“It’ll be an awesome display of American patriotism and raw horsepower and ingenuity,” Trump said.

Transport Secretary Sean Duffy was even more gushing, revealing how Freedom 250 Grand Prix Chairman Bud Denke had about 80 meetings with lawmakers on Capitol Hill but couldn’t convince enough people to back the event—until the president intervened.

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“The president had one phone call (from Penske), and the president said: ‘Done. We’re gonna celebrate America 250 with an Indy car race in the U.S. Capitol,” said Duffy, adding that the event “would not be going on” without his help.

But the August 23 showcase is already proving controversial.

Residents and some local officials have raised concerns that closing major downtown roads for days of construction, practice sessions and racing could snarl traffic, disrupt businesses and complicate access around the federal core.

Critics have also questioned the cost of staging another large-scale Freedom 250 event in the wake of Trump’s UFC birthday bash and the Great American State Fair, which drew sparse crowds, left several booths and exhibits empty, and faced various logistical problems.

Earlier, an IndyCar t-shirt featuring former U.S. President Abraham Lincoln wearing a racing helmet alongside the words “One Nation/One Race” was taken down from IndyCar’s website after it sparked anger on social media.