Trump smiled, waved, and flashed his signature fist pump at a crowd upon arrival at the Miami International Autodrome, a temporary track set up for the Formula 1 race at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens. His visit came on a weekend break from the New York criminal trial in which he's charged with falsifying business records in connection with hush money payments to Stephanie Gregory Clifford, AKA porn star Stormy Daniels.
Trump visited the McLaren Racing garage, where he toured the facility and spoke with McLaren Chief Executive Officer Zak Brown. He stood before a group of onlookers chanting, "USA! USA!" before shaking Brown's hand and heading back toward the garage.
Shortly before the race, he was seen on the grid saluting during the National Anthem and chatting with Mohammed ben Sulayem, president of Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), the governing body for Formula 1.
The race kicked off at 4 p.m., with defending Miami Grand Prix winner Max Verstappen of the Red Bull Racing team starting at pole position.
Donald Trump walks in the Paddock prior to the Miami Grand Prix at the Miami International Autodrome on May 5, 2024.
Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images
The Washington Post obtained a letter from the race organizers to Witkoff, warning that the fundraiser would violate the Paddock Club suites' license agreement.
"It has come to our attention that you may be using your Paddock Club Rooftop Suite for a political purpose, namely raising money for a federal election at $250,000 per ticket, which clearly violates the Formula 1 Crypto.com Miami Grand Prix suite license agreement," the letter states.
"If this is true, we regret to inform you that your suite license will be revoked, you will not be allowed to attend the race at any time, and we will refund you in full," the Miami Grand Prix warned.
McLaren Racing released a statement on Sunday claiming its acceptance of Trump's visit was not a political gesture.
"McLaren is a non-political organisation. However we recognise and respect the office of President of the United States, so when the request was made to visit our garage on race day, we accepted alongside the president of the FIA and the CEOs of Liberty Media and Formula 1," the outfit said.
The Trump campaign has been active in South Florida throughout the weekend, hosting a retreat in Palm Beach County.Crowd chants “USA!” as President @realDonaldTrump arrives outside the McLaren Garage on Pit Lane 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/JzioZeUNPJ
— Margo Martin (@margommartin) May 5, 2024
CNN reported that House Speaker Mike Johnson and Trump's daughter-in-law Lara Trump, co-chair of the Republican National Committee, were set to hold a reception on Friday.
A fundraiser followed at Trump's Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach on Saturday. Among the scheduled attendees were several politicians rumored to be on Trump's shortlist for his vice-presidential running mate, including South Carolina U.S. Sen. Tim Scott, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, and U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio of Miami.
Donald Trump gestures in the pitlane prior to the F1 Miami Grand Prix at the Miami International Autodrome on May 5, 2024.
Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images
Trump called President Joe Biden's administration a "Gestapo" during the event.
"It's the only thing they have. And it’s the only way they're going to win in their opinion," Trump said.
The former president is currently facing criminal charges in four separate cases. In addition to New York state prosecutors' case over alleged falsification of business records, federal prosecutors have pending counts against him for allegedly hoarding classified documents at Mar-a-Lago and attempting to overthrow the democratic process through a fake-elector scheme in the 2020 election. He's also facing a Georgia state criminal case over alleged attempts to subvert the electoral process.
