Donald Trump raised concerns about his judgment by suggesting that successful race car drivers and football coaches could be put in charge of the military at a rally in North Carolina.
The former president was introduced at the Charlotte rally by NASCAR great Richard Childress, whom he praised from the podium and then veered off into a reverie about Indianapolis 500 legend Roger Penske that led him to propose racing team owners and football coaches as advisers to military commanders.
"How you do it is amazing, it's so amazing," Trump told Childress from the stage. "We should send you into – I've always said, we should get some of those guys. I have a lot of friends in that world. I don't know, I think, isn't Roger Penske, like, a great guy, too? Guy won, he won 20 Indianapolis 500s. This guy wins all the time."
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Team Penske won the Indy 500 this year for a record 20th time and has won the series championship 16 times, and the team owner endorsed Trump in 2020 and donated $45,000 to his campaign after receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom from him the year before.
"I mean, we appreciate talent, I said, let me use these guys to guide our military a little bit," Trump told his rally supporters. "When you can win so many races, that's okay, you know, you guide. Same thing with coaches, you take some of the great football coaches, you put them at the table. 'What do you like, coach?' Because, in its own way, it's not so much really different."
The Republican nominee's suggestion alarmed many social media users, who questioned his ability to make sensible decisions.
"When does he ever discuss the policies he wants to implement?" said Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS). "All you hear is gibberish from him."
"It’s still shocking to me that this probably won’t make the news on a single major network," said Amy McGrath, an Air Force veteran and former Democratic Senate candidate in Kentucky.
"Roger Penske is 87 years old," said X user Robin Grearson. "[Trump] is not quite living in the same era that the rest of us are."
"To be fair, if there's a billionaire to be in charge of things, it should be Roger Penske, not this guy," said X user Greg Stark.
"This is proper fever dream stuff oh my god," said motorsports journalist Simon Chapman. "Donald Trump reckons Roger Penske should lead the military because he’s won 20 Indianapolis 500s. You cannot make this up!"
"I do not want General Tuberville no ma'am," said X user Bill DeMayo.
"Last time we mixed generals and football coaches, he held up promotions for over a year for an unrelated policy beef," said X user Wayne E.
