Over the past several months and years, former United States President Donald Trump has formed what seems to be a strong relationship with LIV Golf, a controversial golf tour backed by the Saudi Arabian government. Given Saudi Arabia’s checkered history when it comes to human rights as well as the nation’s involvement in the 9/11 terrorist attacks that killed almost 3,000 Americans. But Trump doesn’t seem too worried about that.
This week, Donald Trump is hosting a LIV Golf event at his Trump National Golf Club in Washington, D.C., and while participating in the tournament’s pro-am event on Thursday, Trump was asked some questions about his relationship with LIV Golf.
Recently, several families of 9/11 victims expressed their displeasure with the former president aligning himself with the Saudi-funded golf league. But while Donald Trump claims that he does “fully understand” the families’ concerns, he made it clear that he values the financial benefits of LIV Golf more.
“I fully understand them and we love them,” Trump said of the 9/11 families, according to The Washington Post. “But it’s tremendous economic development, tremendous number of jobs, just for an event like this — it’s a big event. Tremendous number of jobs. But I fully understand them, actually.”
But not only does the former president support the Saudi-backed LIV Golf tour, but he also profits from his own relationship with the tour. LIV Golf is set to play three events at Trump-owned golf courses this year, and they’ll pay Trump a rental fee each time, putting money from the Saudi Arabian government directly into the pockets of a former United States president and current presidential candidate.
“They pay a rental fee. They want to use my properties because they’re the best properties,” Trump said. “There’s no property like this.”
The Department of Justice is currently looking into Trump’s relationship with LIV Golf as part of its investigation into his alleged mishandling of classified documents.
