Trump’s campaign chief was forced to delete a tweet celebrating the president’s visit to Daytona 500 after he used an Air Force One picture from 2004. Brad Parscale wrote in a tweet, “Trump won the #Daytona500 before the race even started” adding an impressive photo of the Air Force One rising above the Daytona International Speedway in Florida.
But as it turned out, the picture was not real. In fact, it was captured back in 2004 when George W. Bush was president.
The tweet stayed up for over three hours before it was deleted. It managed to get over 23,000 likes and 6,700 re-tweets. The Daytona 500 is a NASCAR cup series event that’s held at the Daytona International Speedway.
The event is one of the most high-profile races in the NASCAR calendar and has traditionally been opened by US presidents. President Trump got the honor this year, appearing as the grand marshal in the race. Trump did a lap on the circuit using his armored presidential car to officially open the event.
But since we are in an election year, the Trump campaign couldn’t pass on the chance to use the event to campaign for the president. The tweet sent by Brad Parscale is a clear indication of the thinking behind the campaign.
However, the Internet was quick to point out the mistake, with several journalists reporting that the campaign was using the wrong picture to capture Trump’s attendance. Parscale didn’t follow up the wrongful tweet with a correct one and the story died down after the initial tweet was deleted.
The photo used by Trump’s chief campaign manager was taken in 2004 by Jonathan Ferry. The photo was taken during a visit by George W. Bush. Ferry took to Twitter to mock the wrongful tweet by the Parscale, noting in a tweet of his own that, “Apparently I won the Daytona 500 photography before the race even started.”
Trump appeared at the race alongside first lady Melania Trump. The president noted in his opening remarks that there was no greater thrill than joining fellow NASCAR race fans for the Daytona 500. Trump also went on to urge the fans to never forget that “no matter who wins, what matters most is God, family, and country.”
Trump has been out and about on the campaign trail as he looks to build momentum ahead of the 2020 elections. Even though we are still not sure who he will be facing, Democrat Bernie Sanders looks like a clear frontrunner after claiming an important primary win in New Hampshire and losing narrowly in Iowa.
Trump is also coming from an impeachment trial that saw him acquitted of all charges despite critics arguing that there was enough evidence to suggest impeachable offenses were committed in his dealings with Ukraine. It’s going to be a very interesting race in 2020 through but Trump still remains confident that he will carry the day.
