President Trump deepened his efforts on Thursday to mediate an elusive agreement that includes the PGA Tour and the Saudi-backed LIV Golf League, using the president's power to intervene in global sports diplomacy. .
For the second time this month, Trump hosts key negotiators at the White House, attempting to repair a fierce violation between the prestigious American Golf Tour and the Rebel League funded by the Saudi Arabian Sovereign Wealth Fund. did.
Thursday's meeting included not only Jaymonaghan, a PGA tour committee member who visited the oval office in early February, but also Yasirarlmeyan, chairman of Liv and head of the Sovereign Fund. , which was particularly noteworthy. Golf Great Tiger Woods.
The session highlighted that ethics experts say it is a growth pattern of Trump's conflict of interest in the second term. It is common for American presidents to promote American companies like the PGA Tour, but Trump's starring role in these negotiations could benefit his own company. It's very rare. The Trump family manages one of the world's best golf course portfolios, hosts PGA Tour tournaments and more recently hosts Liv.
A lasting agreement, including a rival circuit, could lead the sports top figures once again to compete against each other on the Trump family's course, offering millions of dollars and even greater fame to Trump's company. It may also require some degree of involvement from the Department of Justice. The Department of Justice is tailored to whether antitrust enforcers will curb competition in the United States.
At Black History Month's reception on Thursday, Trump, who had long considered himself as a sports power broker, appeared to have hosted PGA Tour board members Woods and golfer Adam Scott. He said he took part in a “interesting discussion” with visitors, but he did not elaborate.
The meeting was the third time on Thursday in at least 16 days, with Trump in contact with Al Lumayan. Earlier this month, Saudi officials called for a presidential meeting with Monaghan and Scott. On Wednesday, Al Lumayan sat at one of the frontlines as the president attended a meeting in Miami Beach sponsored by the foundation related to the Wealth Fund. He later flew to Washington for a private meeting.
The Wealth Fund did not comment on Thursday's session, but Al Lumayan, approached for dinner in Florida a few hours later, said it was “good.” He did not answer questions about whether the meeting had progressed towards the deal.
In a statement, Monaghan, Scott and Woods described the meeting as a “constructive working session” and said they “promised to move as soon as possible” towards an agreement with Saudi Arabia.
Trump's decision to drive the deal fits an increasingly clear pattern of mixing the personal financial interests of his family with his official role. The president is exempt from the Conflict of Interest Act, which prohibits federal employees from taking actions that directly affect their financial holdings, but other presidents generally voluntarily respect that standard.
A few days before Trump's inauguration, he launched a digital coin called $Trump and has continued to promote it since taking office. He also drove traffic to the truth since re-entering the White House. This has driven him to Truth Social, a social media platform run by Trump Media, a company he is a majority shareholder, by using it to communicate about the presidency. Trump Media has also announced it will expand to financial services products that industry experts say require approval from the Federal Securities and Exchange Commission.
A White House spokesperson said Trump has not tolerated a conflict of interest, but has not answered specific questions about whether he is engaged with them.
The Trump family's golf course is run by the Trump organization, ruled by the president's two oldest sons. The company said the president would not speak out about the company's daily decisions during his second term and would not engage in transactions or contracts with foreign governments except for regular transactions.
But ethics and business experts said Thursday that Trump's organization will still benefit from a deal that will heal the rift of golf. Kathleen Clark, a law professor specializing in government ethics at Washington University in St. Louis, said that while the Trump family's personal interests seem to be clear, government and public interest are “exactly clear.” Not there,” he said.
If the transaction is subject to antitrust or other federal surveillance, she said Trump's intervention is “even more troubling as it could signal that it should line up with federal regulators.” I stated.
The Trump family has a business interest that involves Saudi Arabia, far beyond golf. Leads of the $925 billion sovereign wealth fund Al-Rumayyan bankrolled a private equity fund founded by Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner. Two months before Trump's inauguration, the Trump organization announced two real estate projects in Riyadh, the Saudi Arabian capital.
Trump enjoys his golf round and wants to rehabilitate a sport that has been segregated for several years. Tempers has been eased recently, but the 2022 launch of LIV required elite players to choose the side. This is a facility-friendly, high-rolling rebellion option where LIVs hang.
The PGA Tour was desperate to protect its power and to be well aware of Saudi Arabia's human rights record, portraying its choice as moral. Liv players have been much richer after signing with Saudi Arabia, and have encircled obstacles in milder terms about issues such as schedules and tournament-style play.
Throughout, Trump has proven himself an overjoyed cheerleader on Saudi Arabia's tour. In a 2022 interview, he sidelined concerns about human rights abuses in the Saudi government and portrayed the wealth fund's expansion interest in global sports as a genuine, healthy investment.
“What they're doing with LIV is very important,” Trump said he criticised the PGA Tour approach to negotiating with Saudi Arabia. “They put a lot of effort into it and a lot of money on it, as you see it.”
In the lawsuit, months after these comments, the tour and wealth fund began secret consultations, stunning Golf with its ambition to combine the surprise announcement of a ceasefire in June 2023 with business ventures from rival circuits. I did.
But their consent has come across complications after complication, particularly concerns from Washington's antitrust regulators. During President Joseph R. Biden Jr.'s term, both sides submitted term sheets for Saudi Arabia's $1.5 billion investment in the newly developed commercial sector of the PGA Tour.
However, the Justice Department did not complete a review of the Saudi Arabian deal last month before Trump came to power. And Trump has entered talks as tours and wealth funds are considering a path to a deal that could have been considered a non-starter under Biden's anti-trust enforcer.
It is not clear whether the emergent deals will allow LIV to survive as an independent brand. The circuit is struggling to pull out audiences and revenue.
PGA Tour leaders welcomed Trump's role in the negotiations and said they wanted it. Last week, Monaghan said the PGA Tour flagship circuit, which he last played on Trump's fortune in 2016, could return to the family's course.
Maggie Haberman contributed to the report from Washington. Julie Tate contributed to the research.
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