Former President Donald Trump had this to say about Saudi Arabia, LIV golf tour and 9/11
On the eve of this week’s LIV Golf Invitational Series event in New Jersey this week, former President Donald Trump spoke about the controversy surrounding the tournament at his Bedminster golf course.
That controversy is related to the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund, which provides the financial back of the LIV tour. Critics have pointed to the alleged “sportswashing” of Saudi Arabia’s human rights record, while allegedly playing a role in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and the Sept. 11 attacks.
Playing in Thursday’s pro-am with Dustin Johnson and Bryson DeChambeau and his son Eric, Trump told ESPN that “what they’re doing for golf is great,” as well as responding the Saudi’s alleged 9/11 involvement.
“I’ve known these people for a long time in Saudi Arabia, they’ve been friends of mine for a long time,” Trump said. “They’ve invested in many American companies, they own big percentages of many, many American companies, and frankly what they’re doing for golf is so great. What they’re doing for the players is so great. The salaries are going to go way up.
“The PGA was not loved by a lot of the players, as you know, for a long time. Now they’ve got an alternative and nobody would have ever known there would be a gold rush like this.”
The group, 9/11 Justice, wrote a letter to Trump on July 17 asking for him to cancel the tournament held this week at Trump National Golf Club Bedminster. In the letter, they pointed to Trump’s previous comments from a 2016 appearance on FOX where he said Saudi Arabia had some responsibility with the 9/11 attacks.
“Well, nobody’s gotten to the bottom of 9/11, unfortunately, and they should have,” Trump said. “As to the maniacs that did that horrible thing to our city, to our country, to the world, so nobody’s really been there. But I can tell you there are a lot of really great people that are out here today and we’re going to have a lot of fun and we’re going to celebrate.”
The inaugural LIV tour season has eight tournaments with the finale coming to Trump’s Doral course in Miami in late October.
“You have really the best players in the world, many of the best players, and soon you’ll probably have all of them,” Trump said, according to the Associated Press. “Remember this, if there’s a merger (between LIV Golf and the PGA Tour), the people who didn’t come will never get anything except a thank-you from the people who took advantage of them.”
Players such as Phil Mickelson, Johnson, DeChambeau and others have received signing bonuses for playing in the fledgling league, which offers bigger purses for tournaments that are conducted over 54 holes without a cut. That means the 48-player field this week is guaranteed a payday, regardless of performance.
