This week, the mystery surrounding what Donald Trump was doing on his Northern Virginia golf course has been revealed. His club is receiving improvements in preparation for a LIV Golf tournament scheduled for next spring, according to a source with knowledge of the plans.
Trump’s visit to the Washington, D.C., area sparked widespread rumors that the former president’s legal woes were finally catching up with him.
However, Trump’s visit was primarily about golfing. The Trump Organization signed a contract last fall to host three LIV events: one in July at his private golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey; another in October at Doral in South Florida; and a third in May 2023 at Trump National Golf Club Washington D.C. in Potomac Falls, Virginia, according to a source.
Members of Trump’s Virginia club have been aware for months of the preparations for a LIV event, which include the expansion of the driving range and the modification of a few tees.
The insider with intimate knowledge of the Trump-LIV deal commented, “It’s like the worst-kept secret in golf.”
On Monday, Trump was photographed and filmed on the golf course with his son Eric and several other guys in golf carts. While the ex-president posted on his social media network that he was “working” at his golf course, Twitter was rife with speculation about the men’s identity and their activities.
“This resembles a mob meeting straight from the movies! In golf shirts, there are no wires. Move about so that there are no unseen electronic repairs. out of camera range, so no lip reading is possible “Former Nixon White House counsel John Dean, who notably testified against the president in the Watergate crisis, stated on Twitter.
—John W. Dean on Twitter
September 13, 2022
However, Trump’s arrival did not come as a surprise to the club’s members, who were informed of his anticipated arrival last Friday, when staff was observed cleaning the whole facility with fervor.
In addition, the source with knowledge of the Trump-LIV agreement identified at least three of the men seen in images with the ex-president and Eric Trump walking the course on Monday. They include the general manager of Trump National, Joe Roediger, and the grounds crew director, Brad Enie.
John Copeland, the founder and president of Superior Golf Concepts, is also pictured. Due to Copeland’s facial hair, several online detectives mistook him for Ty Cobb, a former White House attorney for Trump who recently described the ex-president as a “very wounded narcissist.”
Jonathan Grella, the LIV’s chief communications officer, responded, “LIV’s 2023 calendar is not final, therefore we will refrain from guessing until it is formally announced at a later date.”
Trump and Trump Organization spokespeople did not immediately respond to demands for comment.
In July of 2022, former President Trump waits on the 18th green during a LIV event held at his own golf course in Bedminster, New Jersey.
Tyler Lauletta / Insider
Trump has been an avid backer of the LIV Golf since the league’s inception this year. In July, the third event in LIV’s history was held at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, with the former president taking a prominent role in the celebrations.
In an interview with the Wall Street Journal prior to the tournament, Trump stated, “I do believe that the coverage that [LIV Golf] has received has been more beneficial than anything else.” “I believe that the value of their PR is in the billions of dollars. It is one of the most significant events in sports, and sports have a significant role in society.”
LIV Golf, backed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, has disrupted the top tier of golf by luring players away from the PGA Tour with enormous guaranteed payouts and equally outstanding tournament purses.
Critics have referred to LIV Golf as an example of “sportswashing” — leveraging on the public’s love of sport to help whitewash Saudi Arabia’s history of international human rights breaches.
Prior to signing on to host the LIV, Trump Bedminster was scheduled to host one of golf’s four majors, the 2022 PGA Championship. The PGA of America, a separate institution from the PGA Tour that conducts the PGA Championship, determined it was better to relocate the tournament following the January 6, 2021 Capitol uprising.
With the PGA Tour no longer interested, Trump resorted to LIV Golf, a collaboration that has already proven beneficial for the former president.
According to seasoned golf journalist Alan Shipnuck, it is somewhat unclear how much Trump was paid to organize his first LIV tournament. “Trump Bedminster was compensated $2.8 million (according to the Trump Organization) or $4.5 million (according to club members),” noted Shipnuck in his tournament recap.
Regardless of the final numbers, it appears the arrangement will increase, with LIV expanding its program to 14 events in 2019, including the event for which Trump was preparing on his Virginia course.