President Donald Trump attended the IndyCar Freedom 250 in Washington, D.C., over the weekend, and his attempt to wave the green flag to start the race quickly went viral for the wrong reasons.
The 80-year-old has faced a fair amount of scandal this month over his close relationship with loyal aide Natalie Harp, but that was not why he drew attention at the motor race. Trump was tasked with kick-starting the race by waving a green flag, yet he seemed to struggle with the simple task, failing to hold the flag correctly and waving it around wildly.
Online reactions compare Trump to Mr Bean
The White House's official account shared a clip of the awkward moment, captioning it: "When someone says trust in Trump." Social media users quickly piled on, with one replying: "He's giving Mr Bean here." Another likened the President to a "five-year-old," while a third quipped: "No one has ever looked more stupid waving a flag than Donald Trump."
Another pointed out: "They had to tell Donald Trump to hold the green flag the right way!" However, some found the moment hilarious and commended the President for his humour. One commenter confessed: "This is one of the funniest things I've ever seen in my entire life to be honest." Another observed: "Trump looks like a kid in a candy store. Pure joy!"
Trump defends the event
Despite struggling with the flag, Trump boasted that the day went off without a hitch. Speaking to Fox Sports, the US President said: "They've been trying to do it for 20 years. It turned out to be, I think, bigger and better. And the weather is beautiful."
He added: "You know, I was hearing about rain all week long. It's going to rain. It's going to rain. I said, 'No it's not.' And this is as nice a day as I've seen in Washington in a long time."
