Trump goes viral for bizarrely waving green flag at Freedom 250 Grand Prix

The president emphatically started the IndyCar race on Sunday.

The gesture triggered mockery from Trump’s critics, celebration by his supporters and a steady stream of memes from everyone in between

"Looks like Trump and Melania were arguing over something," a social media user wrote after the couple's rare appearance together.

Trump’s Grand Prix Race Was A Spectacle But Just How Excessive Was It?  Forbes

Craig Munro | Senior Politics Reporter Published August 24, 2026 10:42am Updated August 24, 2026 10:42am To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video The Freedom 250 IndyCar race around the streets of Washington DC on Saturday appeared almost scientifica

Alex Palou entered the Washington D.C. race weekend with a 133-point lead, and secured pole position for the Freedom 250 Grand Prix. However, an uncharacteristically messy day for Palou opened the door for Kyle Kirkwood to make big gains as he captured the checkered flag. Kirkwood is now 91 points behind Palou with jus

President Trump and first lady Melania Trump began the Freedom 250 Grand Prix IndyCar race through the streets of Washington, D.C, with a slow lap around the course.

The inaugural DC IndyCar race capped a summer of Trump-style elaborate celebrations for America's 250th birthday

American driver wins in a dominant performance DC Mayor Muriel Bowser served as grand marshal Kyle Kirkwood gave the Freedom 250 an American winner, racing to his second victory of the IndyCar season on the streets of downtown Washington in a dominant performance Sunday. In a race set up as part of the country’s 250t

Kyle Kirwood won the Freedom 250 Grand Prix on Sunday after he led for most of the race in downtown Washington, DC.

Kirkwood grabbed the lead on the first lap and dominated the action the rest of the way in the IndyCar Series race.

Kyle Kirkwood wins IndyCar Freedom 250 Grand Prix  CNN

August 23, 2026 4:36 PM ET President Donald Trump climbed into the armored presidential limousine and circled a racetrack wrapped around the nation’s capital to launch the first IndyCar event ever staged in Washington.Trump piloted a ceremonial lap in “the Beast” around the 1.7-mile street course near the U.S. Capitol

Fans at the IndyCar Freedom 250 Grand Prix in Washington, D.C., describe an overwhelming sense of pride and unity absent from other American sports.

Trump and Melania take ‘Lap of Honor’ in The Beast before Freedom 250 Grand Prix  MARCA

Donald Trump has waved the green flag to start the IndyCar 250 Grand Prix around Washington DC.

Donald Trump has waved the green flag to start the IndyCar 250 Grand Prix around Washington DC.

'Make Freedom Roar': Trump Waves The Green Flag, Does Honorary Lap Before D.C. Grand Prix  HuffPost

Trump takes a lap in 'the Beast' at Freedom 250 Grand Prix, waves green flag  USA Today

President Trump took a lap of honor around IndayCar's Freedom 250 Grand Prix 1.7-mile circuit near the US Capitol on Sunday to kick off the capstone event of DC summer festivities for America's semiquincentennial.

Heavy crash for Max Verstappen causes red flag at F1’s Dutch Grand Prix  Toronto Star

Max Verstappen crashes out of Dutch Grand Prix in final home race as red flag called  GB News

A heavy crash for Max Verstappen brought out the red flag to stop the Dutch Grand Prix as the four-time champion’s home Formula 1 race lasted less than a lap

Heavy crash for Max Verstappen causes red flag at F1’s Dutch Grand Prix  AP News

Crowds pack Washington DC for Freedom 250 Grand Prix  Reuters

Ride Shotgun in a Corvette on D.C.’s Freedom 250 IndyCar Track  WSJ

Dua Lipa looked effortlessly chic as she carried her huge £6,000 Chanel bucket bag in New York City on Friday.

The president says the 147-lap race will be an event 'like no other' as drivers zip through Washington, DC.

A post by a US Government department led to a wave of shocked messages from people who thought it had shared an AI image of Donald Trump with Jeffrey Epstein and Hillary Clinton

Downtown Washington, D.C., has become a racetrack, with planners putting the finishing touches on the city-street course that will host the district’s first immersive IndyCar race this weekend. President Donald Trump is expected to start IndyCar’s Freedom 250 Grand Prix on Sunday with an honorary lap ahead of the histo

ANALYSIS: Red Bull are not setting the Kiwi up to fail at Zandvoort.

A slice of Washington, D.C., will be transformed into an IndyCar race track this weekend for an event commemorating the U.S.'s 250th birthday.