As the PGA Tour and LIV Golf work towards a merger supported by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, Donald Trump is keen to play the role of peacemaker. Four years ago, the PGA stripped Trump’s Bedminster golf club of its PGA Championship hosting rights following the Capitol insurrection on January 6, 2021. Three years ago, families of 9/11 victims protested Trump’s acceptance of the Saudi-backed LIV Tour holding an event at his New Jersey golf course, located just 50 miles from Ground Zero. Now, as the current president of the United States, Trump is welcoming Saudi business to orchestrate this merger, highlighting an apparent conflict of interest that Pablo Torre argues has been developing for years.
“Donald Trump has been foreshadowing for two years,” Torre mentioned during a discussion with Tim Miller on The Bulwark Podcast. “He has been vocal about the PGA, welcoming business from LIV and Saudi Arabia, asserting that a merger is inevitable. ‘Anyone fighting LIV is destined to lose. You might as well let me, Donald Trump, mediate a business merger.’ This unsurprisingly positions Trump to profit from his golf courses, which highlights the clear corruption of his role as president.” Torre remarked, “It’s astonishing how Trump bathes in nationalism while being in direct business partnership with Saudi Arabia. I’m trying to discern which biases we accept and which we don’t. It seems the only consistent factor is whether one is giving money to Donald Trump.”
The critical question here may not be whether the PGA-LIV merger is beneficial for golf, but rather if it serves Trump’s interests as he seemingly leverages the power of his presidency for personal gain. Already a business partner with LIV Golf, the merger would likely enhance the financial benefits for Trump’s golf courses, particularly with tournaments like the one slated for April at Trump National Doral in Miami. This situation not only reflects a conflict of interest but also manifests as a glaring hypocrisy against the nationalistic platform he championed. It’s ironic to embrace love for one’s country while accepting funds from a Saudi government that played a role in the 9/11 attacks. While it may have been acceptable for golfers or even Trump, when he wasn’t president, to accept Saudi money without concern for its source, the president doing so with inherent self-interest raises the stakes on conflict of interest.
