'Totally Died Down:' Trump Defends Hosting Saudi-Backed LIV Golf Tournament, Downplays Khashoggi Killing

Former President Donald Trump defended Saudi Arabia’s involvement with the international LIV Golf circuit, which is set to have a tournament at one of his golf clubs. Trump asserted that the tour was a strong publicity boon for the Saudis and downplayed criticism of Saudi Arabia over the assassination in 2018 of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi.

In an interview with the Wall Street Journal on Monday, Trump said that LIV Golf is “worth billions of dollars” in publicity for the kingdom. The circuit, a direct competitor of the PGA Tour, is set to host its third tournament on July 29 at the Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey.

LIV Golf received financing from Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund, Public Investment Fund, a body that is chaired by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, known as MBS, who U.S. intelligence under the Trump administration assessed ordered Khashoggi’s killing at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

Questioned about the criticism that Saudi Arabia was using sporting events like LIV Golf to distract from its human rights record, Trump insisted that the controversy over Khashoggi was effectively over.

“I can say that from the standpoint of Khashoggi, that has died down so much. It really seems to have totally died down," Trump told the Journal. "Nobody has asked me that question in months."

After Khashoggi was killed, the kingdom and its crown prince were subject to intensive criticism. Under the Biden administration, the U.S. sanctioned 76 Saudi officials. The Biden administration also released part of the intelligence finding that pointed blame on MBS for Khashoggi’s killing.

Trump had positioned himself as a strong ally of Riyadh during his administration. Amid the outcry over Khashoggi’s murder, Trump resisted pressure from Congress to hold MBS accountable, citing the economic dimensions of U.S.-Saudi relations and its role in opposing Iran in the Middle East.

Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law and a former White House adviser, also has business ties with the PIF, a relationship that has come under the microscope with House Democrats. In 2021, Public Investment Fund invested $2 billion into a private equity firm formed by Kushner and $1 billion in an investment fund established by Steven Mnuchin, who served as Treasury Secretary during the Trump administration.

Biden has also faced criticism over his handling of relations with Saudi Arabia, including for a photographed fist bump with MBS on his trip to the kingdom earlier this month. Saudi human rights and opposition activists were harshly critical of Biden for making the trip, arguing that it played towards rehabilitating MBS.

Trump’s patronage of the Saudi-backed LIV circuit was also criticized by family members of the victims of the 9/11 attacks in 2001. The families assailed the tournament and its players for accepting Saudi money and called on Trump to cancel the event. Brett Eagleson, a founder of 9/11 Justice, called Trump's praise of Saudi Arabia "disgraceful" and "egregious" in an interview with the Washington Post.

Trump has not directly addressed these complaints, insisting instead that he was unfamiliar with their allegations. Saudi Arabia has repeatedly denied any involvement in the 9/11 attacks. Fifteen of the 19 hijackers on 9/11 were citizens of Saudi Arabia.