Trump lashes out at Bubba Wallace, wrongly accusing NASCAR driver of perpetrating 'a hoax' in noose investigation

WASHINGTON -- President Donald Trump blasted NASCAR's only full-time Black driver on Twitter by wrongly accusing Wallace, of perpetrating "a hoax" involving a rope shaped like a noose found in his garage.

"Has @BubbaWallace apologized to all of those great NASCAR drivers & officials who came to his aid, stood by his side, & were willing to sacrifice everything for him, only to find out that the whole thing was just another HOAX?" Trump tweeted.

Wallace responded on Twitter, saying: "Always deal with the hate being thrown at you with LOVE! Love over hate every day. love should come naturally as people are TAUGHT to hate. Even when it's HATE from the POTUS... Love wins"

In the same tweet Monday, the president also went after NASCAR for banning Confederate flags from all raceways, tweeting "That & Flag decision has caused lowest ratings EVER!"

While Trump claimed NASCAR's ratings are down, they are actually up.

RELATED: No charges Bubba Wallace investigation; NASCAR says rope resembling noose had been there for months

NASCAR driver Tyler Reddick fired back at the president saying drivers didn't need an apology, "We did what was right and we will do just fine without your support."

NASCAR didn't have an immediate response to the president's tweet, but over the last few weeks, other NASCAR drivers and NASCAR President Steve Phelps have shown Wallace their support.

On June 21, a Richard Petty Motorsports crew person saw and reported the apparent noose in a Talladega Superspeedway garage that was assigned to Wallace and his team.

RELATED: NASCAR releases photo of rope found in Bubba Wallace's stall at Talladega: 'The noose was real'

Federal authorities ruled last month that the rope had been hanging there since at least last October and was not a hate crime. Wallace has maintained the rope had been fashioned into a noose and has said he was saddened by "the despicable act of racism and hatred," and other Cup Series drivers rallied around him.

ABC News and The Associated Press contributed to this report.