Melania Trump talks about foster care initiative, racing interest at Freedom 250 Grand Prix

First lady Melania Trump on Sunday shared how her father got her into racing during an interview at the Freedom 250 Grand Prix event.

“Yes, when I was growing up, my father introduced me to the races and to the race cars, and he owned some incredible cars from Maserati and Cougar and Mustang, Mercedes,” Trump told Fox Sports on Sunday.

“So, he introduced me to design of the cars and the mechanics, and also the speed, and I loved it, every minute of it,” she added.

Fox Sports’s Jamie Little then transitioned the conversation to talk about Fostering the Future, a scholarship program for foster care students which has been Trump’s main focus during her second term as first lady.

“They need to have the same opportunity as other children,” Trump said when asked about the initiative’s importance, calling its accomplishments “incredible.”

The first lady on Thursday announced a partnership with IndyCar and Fox Corporation, with the two companies donating a combined $2 million to fund additional scholarships.

In March, IndyCar unveiled that it would host the first street race on the National Mall in August, the Freedom 250 Grand Prix. The course, which is 1.7 miles, loops around the National Archives, National Gallery of Art and Smithsonian Air and Space Museum.

President Trump’s motorcade took him on a lap around the event’s racetrack Sunday. The race is part of semiquincentennial celebrations, featuring flyovers from multiple military branches .

The president announced the race via executive order earlier this year, with the event having a goal of showing off “the majesty of our great city as drivers navigate a track around our iconic national monuments in celebration of America’s 250th birthday.”