BEDMINSTER, New Jersey — As former President Donald Trump swings his Bedminster golf resort into controversy by hosting LIV, locals are torn over what to make of the tumult.
The Township of Bedminster is a sparsely populated region at the heart of New Jersey and home to a largely pro-GOP population with an amenable attitude toward the former president. But many residents in the town, located a mere 50 miles from ground zero, are wary of Saudi Arabia, which backs LIV.
“I think it’s a bad idea. The problem is these guys have all this money thrown at them and who wouldn’t take millions of dollars,” Ted Mclean told the Washington Examiner. “This Khashoggi thing and the lack of human rights with that country is atrocious.”
Bedminster is at the center of a firestorm in the golfing world due to Trump’s decision to host a LIV tournament this weekend at the Trump National Golf Club Bedminster. The FBI has released multiple documents, including a report last year examining connections between the kingdom and the 9/11 terrorist attacks, prompting 9/11 families to label LIV’s funding as “bloody money” and rail against its participants. Fifteen of the 19 hijackers on 9/11 were Saudi.
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U.S. intelligence tied Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to the brutal slaying of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018 — an incident that sparked international backlash. Saudi Arabia has repeatedly denied culpability for both 9/11 and distanced the crown prince from the dismemberment of Khashoggi.
“Trump good, Saudi bad,” a man at a local convenience store told the Washington Examiner. He declined to elaborate further on the matter.
Trump himself shrugged off criticism over LIV’s connections to Saudi Arabia during an exchange with reporters Thursday. “Well, nobody’s gotten to the bottom of 9/11, unfortunately, and they should have, as to the maniacs that did that horrible thing to our city, to our country, to our world,” Trump said. “So nobody’s really been there.”
Some locals were survivors of 9/11 or knew people who died or survived that attack that killed nearly 3,000 people. Local Shawn Reischmann survived the 9/11 attacks. He was in the lobby when the plane struck the South Tower and is apoplectic with the hosting of LIV, he told the Washington Examiner.
“It changed my life. I’m very sentimental about 9/11. I can imagine the families of the 3,000 people who died are disturbed by Saudi Arabian money coming into the USA. What’s wrong with the PGA? Sure, not everyone can agree with each other — the PGA had 400 members of golfers. If you ask the pros [at LIV], they’re here for the money,” he said.
Local Ron Pennington, 92, said he does not like Trump but favors many of the policies Trump pursued in office. He thinks golfers should be free to make all the money they can. “We’re in a capitalist country, aren’t we,” he exulted, shrugging off concerns about golfers taking money that came from the kingdom.
“I don’t like Saudi Arabia, however, I think we have to maintain relations with them, and I don’t care whether [LIV] or some other source of money provides golf tournaments,” Pennington told the Washington Examiner. “It’s just a game. … I think it’s a matter that is enhanced by the press. I don’t think it’s really an issue.”
Many locals have had interactions with Trump throughout his time in the town. One local pharmacy worker turned down an interview because Trump had been a customer in the past and he was worried about alienating his customers.
“Why don’t you leave Donald alone?” a man scolded at a nearby library when asked for a reaction to the LIV uproar by the Washington Examiner. He claimed to have known Trump personally and was peeved at grumblings against Trump’s hosting of LIV. The man declined to opine further on the matter.
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Local Judy Sachs visited the golf resort for a charity a few years ago.
“When you walk in the clubhouse, the first thing you see is this gigantic painting of Trump. You see him right there, and I think it just represents something horrible in this community. I liked it better when it was the DeLorean estate, frankly. ”
Trump purchased the property in 2002 from automaker John DeLorean. Sachs is disgusted by the uproar surrounding LIV and agrees with critics that it is wrong for Trump and golfers to be accepting money from a group with ties to the kingdom.
“Every time I go by it, I just want to give it a bad sign. What it stands for to me is important — because it stands for greed and money,” she exclaimed. “I think, as a nation, we’ve forgotten what happened 20 years ago in New York City and should stand in support of families, not to mention the journalist that was dismembered.”
Some dissenters in the area voiced frustration that they were outnumbered by Republicans in the area but were not shy about disparaging LIV and Trump. One nearby resident named George said it can feel like Republicans outnumber Democrats by a massive ratio. He asked not to have his last name published out of concern that his opinion on LIV could alienate his neighbors.
“Saudi Arabia, I have nothing but contempt for. And then these guys that took money from them — that really disgusts me too … whatever I belong to has nothing but disgust for this,” he told the Washington Examiner. “It’s a free country, so you’re allowed to do what you want, but they sold out for megabucks.”
In recent municipality elections, Republicans have edged out Democrats in Bedminster. For example, during the 2020 township committee race, the Republican candidate triumphed over the Democrat by 58% to 41%, according to election data.
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Security surrounding the extravagant golf resort is tight ahead of the tournament, with Secret Service agents and local police crawling through the outskirts of the resort, ready to fend off any unwanted intruders. But even during times when security is more lax, the high price tag for admittance into the resort has kept many locals out of Trump’s Garden State paradise.
Dozens of locals declined interviews and contended they were not avid fans of the golfing world or privy to the controversy with LIV. The tournament is slated to take place from July 29 to July 31. Families of 9/11 victims are planning to host a press conference Friday blasting the tournament.
