Trump Praises ‘Great’ Saudi Separatist LIV Golf League, Then Insists Controversy Over Journalist Jamal Khashoggi’s Murder ‘Has Completely Calmed Down’, Dismisses Protests Saying ‘I Don’t Know Much About 9/11 Families’
- Donald Trump has caused controversy with his comments on the LIV Golf series
- The latest LIV tournament takes place at their Bedminster course this weekend.
- Trump says he ‘doesn’t know much about 9/11 families’ amid his protests
- He also says that the controversy over Jamal Khashoggi’s death has completely died down.
Donald Trump has given his endorsement to the Saudi-funded LIV Golf getaway league, insisting it is “one of the best things to ever happen in sports” despite huge fan backlash.
The 45th President of the United States will host the final LIV tournament at his Bedminster, New Jersey course this weekend and, perhaps unsurprisingly, has praised the controversial tour.
While many have described LIV simply as a sports laundering tool for Saudi Arabia, Trump believes it has been a very positive addition to golf, and was quick to brush off any controversy surrounding 9/11 and the death of American journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Talking with him Wall Street Journal this week, he said: ‘I think LIV has been a great thing for Saudi Arabia, for the image of Saudi Arabia.
“I think it’s going to be an incredible investment from that standpoint, and that’s more valuable than a lot of other things because you can’t buy that, even with billions of dollars.
Former President Donald Trump has praised LIV as he heads to Bedminster this week
The third event of the controversial LIV Golf Series will be held at the Trump National Golf Club
“I think the publicity they’ve gotten, more than anything, has been a great thing for them.
“I think the publicity they’ve received is worth billions of dollars. It’s one of the hottest things that’s ever happened in sports, and sports are a big part of life.’
There have been protests in preparation for the tournament by survivors and relatives of those who died in the 9/11 terrorist attacks, in which 15 of the 19 hijackers were citizens of Saudi Arabia.
However, Trump downplayed the criticism and insisted he was not aware of any backlash, despite protests and news conferences taking place near Bedminster.
“I don’t know much about the 9/11 families, I don’t know what the relationship is to this, and their very strong feelings, and I can understand their feelings,” he said. “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.”
The 2018 death of journalist and US citizen Khashoggi has also been a major talking point, with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman reportedly an accomplice in his murder. LIV Golf is being financed by the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund, controlled by Bin Salman.
Trump says LIV has been “great” for Saudi Arabia’s image, despite many calling the tournament a sporting facelift and trying to deflect attention from its human rights record.
Phil Mickelson (pictured), Dustin Johnson and Bryson DeChambeau have already defected
Again, for Trump, though, that’s not a concern.
“I can say that from Khashoggi’s point of view, that has calmed down so much,” the former president added. ‘It really seems to have died out completely. No one has asked me that question in months.
This weekend’s tournament in Bedminster will be Henrik Stenson’s first since defecting to the LIV series, and will also feature the likes of Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Sergio Garcia and Brooks Koepka.
Trump is a huge golf fan and is pictured playing on one of his courses in Scotland.
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