Former NASCAR and IndyCar driver Danica Patrick isn’t backing down from her right-of-center political views after facing criticism on social media earlier this week.
The backlash towards Ms. Patrick began online after she posted photos of herself and her sister at a Turning Point USA (TPUSA) conference on Instagram. In response, those on the left expressed their disappointment in the athlete, saying they were going to unfollow her and that she should consider herself “canceled.”
Founded in 2012 by Charlie Kirk and Bill Montgomery, Turning Point USA is an American non-profit organization advocating for conservative politics on high school, college, and university campuses.
The photos posted by Ms. Patrick included one with hats supporting former President Donald Trump, Charlie Kirk in a discussion, Tucker Carlson speaking at the podium, and an advertisement for “Woke Tears Water.”
Ms. Patrick captioned the photos, “Sister came to town to check out @turningpointusa with me! Dad replied to our pic with – perfect daughters. we do love our country….so AMfest (America fest) makes sense.”
That’s when the negative comments began, like “I had no idea you were like that. That’s disappointing,” as one Instagram user wrote. Another went on, “Unfollowing you now,” as another wrote, “Had no idea you were MAGA. Glad you posted this so I know to unfollow and stop supporting anything you’re associated with.”
thru the photos. I am speechless actually.”
Meanwhile, @turningpointusa noted how nice it was seeing both Ms. Patrick and her sister, while others commented on not being surprised by the negative comments from liberals. Charlie Kirk himself responded with three “clap” emojis.
Ms. Patrick didn’t immediately appear to address the negative comments and instead focused her Instagram stories on her family, Christmas, and another video of Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy talking about how unfair those states working to get President Trump off the ballot was.
Not Backing Down
Later, as reported by Outkick’s David Hookstead, she posted a follow-up on her Instagram story clarifying that she thinks the United States is in trouble and claimed her overall political stance is somewhere between Republican and independent.
“Y’all are losing your damn minds over my Turning Point post,” Ms. Patrick wrote on her Instagram stories Friday. “Here is where I stand with some current issues and politics.”
“I am not a liberal,” she wrote. “I am somewhere between Republican and independent. I think our country should be run by someone that knows business and has integrity. I believe we should be able to speak freely. I don’t think our food and skies should be poisoned. I think it’s bulls*** that Democrats can be proud but a Republican can’t in society.”
“As a result, there is so much propaganda that penetrates mainstream media,” she continued. “I love this country and I have lived [in] other places. I believe when people of different opinions speak face to face we realize we are more similar than different. I don’t believe everything anyone says.”
“I have been very torn over the years if I should give a s*** about politics or just live the life I want as an example,” she added. “I have been doing the [latter]. The reaction today is definitely interesting … since all I said was, I love this country.”
The Wisconsin native raced in the top NASCAR series from 2012 to 2018. She finished with seven top 10s and one pole in 191 races.
