STERLING, Va. — Former President Donald Trump praised LIV Golf and defended its dating with the questionable Saudi-funded excursion at a pro-am event at Trump National Golf Club on Thursday.
Trump answered questions from a small organization of reporters while playing a circle with Patrick Reed, Graeme McDowell, his son Eric and Bob Koepka, the father of recent PGA Championship winner and LIV golfer Brooks Koepka.
He stopped to congratulate and highlight the features of the course, which sits along the Potomac River, and offer his take on everything from the risks of canoeing in the domain to the long-term LIV Golf, which he called “very good. “Because he has “unlimited money. “
“I think the (PGA) Tour made a major gambling mistake,” Trump told reporters. “They have unlimited cash and they love it. And it’s a wonderful exhibition for Saudi Arabia.
“They’ve been wonderful for golf. The Saudis have been for golf. And they’re going to do a big part of that, within their country, they’re going to have wonderful fields. “
The LIV golf league is funded through Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund and has been criticized as an example of game laundering: playing to divert attention from human rights violations in the country.
Saudi Arabia has been accused of human rights violations, adding politically motivated killings, torture, enforced disappearances and inhumane reparations to prisoners. And members of the royal circle of relatives and the Saudi government have been accused of involvement in the killing of Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist and Washington Post columnist.
LIV Golf is in the middle of its main season, and this weekend’s event at Trump National Golf Club is the third such tournament to be held at a heritage owned by the former president. It also has upcoming stops in its categories in Bedminster, New Jersey and Miami, Florida later on. This year.
Asked if he thought the LIV events played out in his categories as a kind of praise for the policies he had pursued during his tenure that favored Saudi Arabia, Trump replied “not at all. “He said the courses receive rental fees from LIV Golf, however, he declined to say how much cash fits hands.
“They’re peanuts to me. They’re peanuts,” he said. . . . They use (Trump courses) because they are the courses. It’s pretty simple. “
Trump has gone out of his way several times along the way to marvel at the countryside. He also felt it was amazing at the Congressional Country Club, another course in the domain that hosts primary professional events.
“This is the most productive field. It’s not even a contest,” he said. “I think it’s one of the most productive houses in the world. You have the river Potomac. No any river. You have the Potomac River. If there is no other golf course that can be on the Potomac. And no other golf course like this. “
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Trump has widely praised LIV Golf since the tour began last year. Before hosting an event in July at Trump National Golf Bedminster in New Jersey, the former president implored golfers to accept the guaranteed money presented through the excursion, which has been reported as eight dollars. and nine-figure sums in some cases. Trump also said the other Saudis were “my friends for a long time” at last year’s event.
A New York Times report earlier this month said the U. S. Department of Justice has not yet been able to do so. The U. S. government had cited the Trump organization for involving LIV Golf and Trump’s ties to the tour.
“I guess they’re doing this because of what’s going on with (President Joe) Biden. It’s their retribution,” Trump said, without bringing any evidence of that claim. “Because we didn’t do anything wrong. It’s your reward. That’s how they seek revenge. “
An avid golfer, Trump lamented that he could no longer play Trump National as he did when he was in office. The course is a short distance northwest of Washington.
“That’s good,” Trump said of his game. We’re just having fun. We play ball, I guess. “
The Washington Post reported that after a smart shot on the 5th hole, he waved to reporters piled up along the course and said, “And they’re going to write stories I can’t (expletive) play. “
Trump asked about Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who on Wednesday announced his presidential crusade for the 2024 election and is widely known as Trump’s biggest opponent in the Republican Party.
He called DeSantis a “very disloyal person” and described his announcement as a crisis after several technical issues plagued the Twitter event.
“The guy had a night of crisis,” Trump said.
“. . . But no, I think it’s very disloyal. It has no personality. If you don’t have personality, politics is a very complicated business. I have a glorious personality. “
Trump also asked about his potential friends to run in 2024. He said there were “a lot of smart candidates,” but that Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga. , is not on the list.
“I mean, I like it a lot,” Trump said. I had no idea about it. But he’s a wonderful person, in my opinion. We have a lot of wonderful candidates. “
While singing the praises of LIV Golf, Trump also said it has benefited the game of golf and the United States. When asked why, he pointed to an unspecified economic impact.
“All the jobs. All economic development,” he said. Check this out. Look at what they have built here in 4 weeks. A lot of jobs. Excellent economic development. They’ve been wonderful doing business with them. “”
Trump also asked if he would end his dating business with LIV Golf if he returns to the White House. He did not respond directly to the query.
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