President Donald Trump commented on the romance between Tiger Woods and his former daughter-in-law Vanessa Trump for the first time on Monday.
When asked how he felt about the new relationship of his long-time friend and golfing buddy, Trump said that Woods reached out to him to tell him about his romance with Vanessa.
“He told me about it, and I said, ‘Tiger, that’s good, that’s good.’
“I’m very happy for both. I just ... let them both be happy. Let them both be happy. They’re both great.”
Trump also referred to Vanessa’s previous marriage with his eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., suggesting that the Russian collusion investigation during his first term may have contributed to the couple’s divorce.
“I happen to think [Vanessa’s] relationship with my son, I think I happened to think the relationship was hurt very badly by the witch hunt that went on—Russia, Russia, Russia—and all the crap that they put Don through, who knew nothing about it,” Trump said.
The special counsel investigation led by Robert Mueller, launched in May 2017, was looking into whether Trump or his aides had coordinated with the Russian government to influence the 2016 election outcome.
The investigation received near-daily media attention for almost two years, with allegations being made that the president was a “Russian asset,” but failed to produce any evidence upon its conclusion in March 2019.
“Vanessa and Don had a very good relationship,” Trump said. “They have incredible children—five incredible children. All good athletes, all great students. ... They broke up quite a while ago, which was to me very sad because I think they’re both great, Don and Vanessa.”
Still, the president gave his blessing for the new relationship of his former in-law.
“I love Tiger and I love Vanessa,” he said. “He and I have a very special, very good relationship with Tiger.”
Trump said he recently played golf with Woods a couple of times and called him “a fantastic guy and a fantastic athlete.”
“Love is in the air and life is better with you by my side!” Woods wrote. “We look forward to our journey through life together. At this time we would appreciate privacy for all those close to our hearts.”
Woods’s second child, Charlie, and Vanessa’s eldest, Kai, are both competitive golfers.
