Trump Takes Lap In ‘The Beast’ At IndyCar’s Freedom 250 Grand Prix

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

Natalie Harp, Trump’s executive assistant, was in the president’s spectator box along with first lady Melania Trump

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

Kyle Kirwood won the Freedom 250 Grand Prix in downtown Washington, D.C., on Sunday after President Donald Trump and his wife took an honorary lap.

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

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.

After starting on the front row, American driver Kyle Kirkwood dominated much of Sunday's Freedom 250 Grand Prix on the streets of Washington DC.  Kirkwood led 128 of 147 laps, and the Andretti driver claimed victory over Arrow McLaren's Christian Lundgaard in second and Andretti teammate Will Power in third. The margi

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.

First lady Melania Trump on Sunday shared how her father got her into racing during an interview at the Freedom 250 Grand Prix event. “Yes, when I was growing up, my father introduced me to the races and to the race cars, and he owned some incredible cars from Maserati and Cougar and Mustang, Mercedes,”…

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.

The Washington Post / The Washington Post via Getty Im Donald Trump’s adoring aide accompanied him to his latest MAGA spectacle in Washington amid heightened scrutiny of her close relationship with the president. Natalie Harp, 35, joined the 80-year-old president at the Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington, as did Trum

'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.

Freedom 250 Grand Prix Races Today: What To Know About DC IndyCar Event  Forbes

IndyCar's D.C. street race pits a "red state" sport against the bluest city—but the divide isn't all that it seems.

Bill Maher surprisingly defended Donald Trump's fiercely loyal aide Natalie Harp amid intense scrutiny over her unusually close working relationship with the president.

Crowds pack Washington DC for Freedom 250 Grand Prix  Reuters

Comedian and political commentator Bill Maher defended President Donald Trump and his top aide, Natalie Harp, praising her for being “devoted to her job.” “I don’t know why you have to go after her, you know. She seems incredibly devoted to her job, never takes a day off,” Maher said on Real Time with Bill…

Natalie Harp, a close aide to Trump, humorously addresses her nickname 'human printer' for printing pro-Trump articles.

Natalie Harp is part of Trump’s inner circle at the White House, while her brother Preston lives in Nicaragua and calls himself a Sandinista.

EXCLUSIVE: The Mirror can today reveal Harp accompanied Trump to Turnberry last July for a second visit - where she followed him on the golf course and sat in on at least one meeting with a world leader

New snaps show the orange leader buzzing about on his cart on his course up north as his trust aide Natalie Harp sprinting behind him up a hill, in an incident that has been mocked recently

The president claimed he's gotten "so many job applications" to replace Karoline Leavitt.

The lengthy notes, written in 2023, reveal a young woman deeply concerned about having upset her boss in some way, and desperate to foster an intimate relationship with him.

Natalie Harp apologised to Trump in a letter after following him around the golf course on foot

One of Donald Trump’s closest and most devoted aides, Natalie Harp, has faced intense media scrutiny this week, after a Democratic senator, Jon Ossoff, name-checked her in a speech that went viral. So what do we know about Harp, who is often referred to as the ‘human printer’? And why is everybody talking about her rel

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

“Thank you for being my Guardian and Protector in this Life,” Harp wrote in one letter, according to reporting from The Daily Beast.

The executive aide’s relationship with the president symbolises a broader sycophancy around him

Preston Harp embraces the Ortega-Murillo regime, posts AI-created photos of himself dressed as a Nicaraguan police officer and writes pro-official slogans: ‘¡Viva el Frente Sandinista!’

Preston Harp embraces the Ortega-Murillo regime, posts AI-created photos of himself dressed as a Nicaraguan police officer and writes pro-official slogans: ‘¡Viva el Frente Sandinista!’

She is a near-constant presence at US President Donald Trump's side, but until recently his ultra-loyal aide Natalie Harp had managed to stay out of the spotlight. That has all changed since it emerged the 35-year-old was one of a handful of people who secretly swapped from Air Force One with Trump in Turkey after a se

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.