LIV Golf ‘Great’ For Saudi Arabia, Outrage Over Khashoggi Murder Not A Factor

Topline

Already an outspoken LIV Golf backer, former President Donald Trump gave his support to the controversial Saudi regime funding the PGA Tour challenger in an eye-opening interview with the Wall Street Journal published Tuesday.

Key Facts

LIV Golf has been a “great thing…for the image of Saudi Arabia,” which bankrolls the tour via its sovereign wealth fund, Trump told the newspaper.

He continued to say LIV Golf has been an “incredible investment” for Saudi Arabia, explaining “the publicity they’ve gotten is worth billions of dollars.”

Notably, Trump dismissed outrage stemming from the murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi that came at the direct orders from Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, according to U.S. intelligence, telling the Journal “from the standpoint of Khashoggi, that has died down so much.”

Key Background

The comments come two days before his Trump National Golf Club Bedminster in New Jersey hosts LIV Golf’s third-ever tournament. A long-standing PGA Tour ally, Trump’s change of heart came after the PGA of America announced in January 2021 it would move the 2022 PGA Championship away from Trump’s Bedminster course in the wake of his supporters storming the U.S. Capitol. Trump urged all golfers to “take the money now” and leave the PGA Tour for LIV Golf in a post on his Truth Social platform last Monday. Several of the most notable American golfers, including Bryson DeChambeau, Dustin Johnson and Phil Mickelson, have already taken Trump’s advice, signing deals with the upstart tour reportedly worth as much as $200 million. Trump has said Khashoggi’s murder made him “extremely angry” and “should never have happened,” though his apparent defense of bin Salman drew criticism.

Contra

Trump’s observation that the Saudi government is using LIV Golf as a public relations ploy actually backs the PGA Tour’s strongest defense amid a Department of Justice antitrust investigation into the tour over its behavior toward its new rival. K. Craig Wildfang, a partner at Robins Kaplan LLP who worked in the Justice Department’s antitrust division during the Clinton Administration, told Forbes last week that the PGA Tour may argue its actions, such as barring golfers from playing in LIV Golf tournaments, are justified given LIV Golf doesn’t operate with purely economic motives.

Surprising Fact

A private equity firm run by Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, received $2 billion in funding from the Saudi Public Investment Fund earlier this year, the same funding source as LIV Golf, as noted by the Journal. The House Oversight Committee launched a probe into the nature of the investment last month.

Further Reading

Trump Says LIV Golf Has Been Worth ‘Billions of Dollars’ in Publicity for Saudi Arabia (Wall Street Journal)

Trump Urges Golfers To Join Saudi-Backed LIV Tour: ‘Take The Money’ (Forbes)