Donald Trump has met in current days with key figures within the ongoing negotiations between the PGA Tour and Saudi Arabia’s Public Funding Fund.
The Washington Put up was first to report that Trump, who was elected to his second time period as president earlier this month, performed a spherical of golf with PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan on Friday at Trump Worldwide Golf Membership in West Palm Seaside, Florida. The spherical, which reportedly was initiated by Trump, was confirmed to the Put up by a PGA Tour spokesperson, who provided the next assertion: “President-elect Trump has at all times been a champion of the sport of golf, and Commissioner Monahan was honored to just accept his invitation to play at Trump Worldwide. The president-elect and the commissioner share a love for the sport and the commissioner loved their time collectively.”
Then on Saturday night time, Trump attended UFC 309 at Madison Sq. Backyard in New York Metropolis with a number of current cupboard appointees, together with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Tulsi Gabbard, plus musician Child Rock, billionaire Elon Musk and PIF governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan, who sat ringside on to Trump’s proper and was seen a number of occasions chatting with Trump in the course of the tv broadcast.
The Put up said that “the precise nature and particulars from the conferences are unsure.”
The PGA Tour and PIF have been working towards a deal since a framework settlement was introduced in June 2023. The preliminary deadline got here and went final Dec. 31, and particulars have been scant on the progress either side have made. Monahan made his most up-to-date journey to Saudi Arabia for the FII Institute’s annual convention in late October. That got here after Monahan and Al-Rumayyan had been in the identical group for a spherical on the DP World Tour’s Dunhill Hyperlinks Championship.
Because the U.S. Division of Justice stays one of many predominant obstacles of a deal, in keeping with Rory McIlroy, a member of the Tour’s transaction subcommittee, Trump proclaimed earlier this month on the “Let’s Go!” podcast with Jim Grey and Invoice Belichick that it could take him “the higher a part of quarter-hour to get that deal accomplished.”
“I’m actually going to work on different issues, to be trustworthy with you,” Trump added. “I believe we’ve got a lot greater issues than that. However I do suppose we must always have one tour, and they need to have the very best gamers in that tour.”
McIlroy mentioned two weeks in the past in Abu Dhabi that Trump’s current victory over Vice President Kamala Harris “clears the way in which a bit bit” for a deal to get accomplished.
“He may be capable to,” McIlroy mentioned. “He’s acquired Elon Musk, who I believe is the neatest man on the earth, beside him. We would be capable to do one thing if we will get Musk concerned, too.”
McIlroy then added: “I believe from the surface trying in, it’s in all probability rather less difficult than it truly is. However clearly Trump has an excellent relationship with Saudi Arabia. He’s acquired an excellent relationship with golf. He’s a lover of golf. So, possibly. Who is aware of? However I believe because the President of america once more, he’s in all probability acquired greater issues to concentrate on than golf.”
