Former NASCAR driver Danica Patrick came under fire on social media recently after sharing pictures from a Turning Point USA event.
The event saw Patrick, accompanied by her sister, attending and openly endorsing the organization.
In multiple Instagram snaps, Patrick shared images of herself posing with her sister, as well as promoting “Woke Tears Water” and hats backing former President Donald Trump.
“Sister came to town to check out @turningpointusa with me! Dad replied to our pic with – perfect daughters,” Patrick captioned the photos from TPUSA.
Had no idea Danica Patrick was in the MAGA cult….now I’m just shocked Aaron Rodgers and her broke up….imagine the intellectual conversations they must’ve had 🤣 pic.twitter.com/AU4wyTZg8k
— Wu Tang is for the Children (@WUTangKids) December 22, 2023
“We do love our country…. so AMfest (America fest) makes sense.”
However, Patrick’s participation in the event did not sit well with some of her followers.
Expressing disappointment, one commenter described their initial belief that the posts were meant to be satirical, only to become increasingly appalled as they scrolled through the photos.
“Oh wow this is super disappointing. For a minute I thought this was satire and then I became more and more horrified as a scrolled thru the photos. I am speechless actually,” they wrote.
“Had no idea you were MAGA,” another complained. “Glad you posted this so I know to unfollow and stop supporting anything you’re associated with.”
“You say you love our country, yet you support the party that is trying to destroy our country. Makes no sense,” someone else sniped.
Patrick remained resolutely unapologetic after posting the pictures, and instead railed against her online haters.
“I am not a liberal. I am somewhere between Republican and independent,” she began on Friday morning.
“I think our country should be run by someone that knows business and has integrity.”
The former NASCAR driver expressed her belief that Americans should be “able to speak freely.”
She also aired her grievances about the environment. “I don’t think our food and skies should be poisoned,” she commented.
Patrick admitted to being upset that about the political divide in the country, and how conservatives are demonized by the media.
“I think it’s bullsh*t that Democrats can be proud but a Republican can’t in society,” she wrote. “As a result, there is so much propaganda that penetrates mainstream media.”
“I love this country and I have lived 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,” Patrick added.
The Wisconsin-born racer, who competed in NASCAR’s top series from 2012 to 2018, noted that she was previously unsure if she should get involved in politics and has been shocked by the public’s reaction to her attendance at the TPUSA’s latest event.
“I have been very torn over the years if I should give a s**t about politics or just live the life I want as an example,” she noted. “I have been doing the ladder.”
“The reaction today is definitely interesting… since all I sad was, I love this country,” Patrick concluded.
"I asked to be put on IR because I didn't wanna practice at the expense of somebody getting cut..
I didn't feel like I needed to practice to continue my rehab but obviously I got overruled there" ~ @AaronRodgers12 #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/XHmsGTfxL3
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) December 26, 2023
Meanwhile, the driver’s ex-beau, New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers recently blasted critics who attacked his team’s decision to put him back on the roster as he heals from his season ending Achilles tear.
“I assumed I was gonna go on IR (Injured Reserve). I asked to be put on IR,” Rodgers said during an appearance on the Pat McAfee Show.
“There was a conversation, ‘do you want to practice,’ and I said, ‘not at the expense of somebody getting cut.’ I know how this works. I didn’t feel like I needed to practice to continue my rehab. I could do on-the-field stuff on the side.”
The man who was cut from the 53-man roster was fullback Nick Bawden, who was downgraded to the practice squad, but will retain his full salary.
Rodgers said that he was “overruled” and personally called Bawden to let the player know that he wasn’t behind the bouncing him off the team.
Regardless, he still got heat from critics, who the quarterback said still are against him for refusing to get vaccinated for COVID-19.
“Before they talk, let’s go back to 2021 and let’s make people say their vax status to start. That’ll frame all these comments in the right window,” he remarked.
“Before they say something, let’s have them say, and ESPN is probably going to shut us off here, let’s have them say, ‘Hey, I’m so-and-so, double vaxxed with Pfizer and triple boosted, and my opinion is this guy is a bad guy because he just wanted to practice and took money away,’” Rodgers accused.
“At least then you’d know, and everybody would know at that point, they have their puppet masters who are puppeteering them to say this certain thing about this guy, and they’re still upset about the fact that I believe in medical freedom. It’s the same tired narrative,” the former Green Bay Packer concluded.