Star golfer Tiger Woods has spoken out about his widely criticized friendship with President Donald Trump, noting that every American should “respect” the office of the president.
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Woods, who has played golf with Trump on numerous occasions, was careful with his words when pinned with questions about his ties to the president following the final round of the Northern Trust PGA Tour event.
“Well, I’ve known Donald for a number of years,” Woods told reporters at the Ridgewood Country Club. “We’ve played golf together. We’ve had dinner together. I’ve known him pre-presidency and obviously during his presidency.”
When asked about Trump’s policy decisions, Woods answered diplomatically:
“Well, he’s the president of the United States,” he said. “You have to respect the office. No matter who is in the office, you may like, dislike personality or the politics, but we all must respect the office.”
When asked whether he would like to elaborate on that comment, he quipped: “No. I just finished 72 holes and am really hungry.”
On Monday, the president himself was clearly made aware of the golfer’s comments, and took to Twitter to respond, calling Woods “very smart” for not taking the bait to “say something that he didn’t want to say.”
The Fake News Media worked hard to get Tiger Woods to say something that he didn’t want to say. Tiger wouldn’t play the game – he is very smart. More importantly, he is playing great golf again!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 27, 2018
Tiger Woods is arguably the greatest golfer of all time, having racked up over 100 professional tournament wins. He has won 14 major championships, second behind Jack Nicklaus, who bagged 18.