Former President Donald Trump downplayed the outcry from families of the victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks over his hosting of the LIV Golf Invitational Series at his New Jersey golf resort.
Families of the victims have criticized LIV for accepting money from Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund because they believe the oil-rich nation had ties to the attackers. However, Trump has been unrelenting in the face of such criticism about his decision to host the tournament at his golf resort, located an hour away from ground zero.
TRUMP HOSTING SAUDI-BACKED LIV SERIES AT GOLF CLUBS DESPITE 9/11 FAMILIES’ PLEAS
“I don’t know much about the 9/11 families, I don’t know what is the relationship to this and their very strong feelings, and I can understand their feelings,” he told the Wall Street Journal. “I can’t really comment on that because I don’t know exactly what they’re saying and what they’re saying, who did what.”
Other criticisms of Saudi Arabia’s comportment on human rights have been hanging over LIV. Some have pointed to the slaying of former Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018 as another example of the kingdom showing its disregard for human rights, with U.S. intelligence concluding Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was likely involved in Khashoggi’s death. Trump believes the debate has “died down.”
“I can say that from the standpoint of Khashoggi, that has died down so much,” Trump said. “It really seems to have totally died down.”
The former president said LIV has been instrumental in rehabilitating Saudi Arabia’s image on the world stage, arguing the PGA has long “taken advantage” of golfers.
“I think LIV has been a great thing for Saudi Arabia, for the image of Saudi Arabia,” Trump, who is slated to host two of LIV’s eight events for the year, added. “I think it’s going to be an incredible investment from that standpoint, and that’s more valuable than lots of other things because you can’t buy that — even with billions of dollars.”
Until Tuesday’s report, Trump was largely silent on the uproar. Last week, he took to his social media platform Truth Social to speculate that LIV will eventually merge with the “disloyal” PGA Tour, a theory shared by several other observers.
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The former president had been rankled by PGA in the past. His Bedminster, New Jersey, course was poised to host the 2022 PGA Championship, a major breakthrough in his quest to gain inroads with the golfing elite. But the PGA pulled the plug in response to the Jan. 6 riot and moved the tournament to Southern Hills in Oklahoma.
LIV has served as an upstart challenger to the PGA Tour. Organizers have tapped into their vast piggy bank, which includes at least $2 billion from the Saudi sovereign wealth fund to drive golf stars to its events with lavish paydays. The PGA has putted back and suspended LIV participants from its events, raising antitrust concerns. Some heavyweight golfers have seemingly used the LIV as a cudgel to help address their gripes with the PGA, including lower-than-desirable paychecks and hectic schedules.
