Donald Trump is running out of money. Yes, he has that $122 Million stashed in his war chest but the RNC, pests that they are, would probably have something to say about it if he tried to pull it out and pay his legal bills with it. They’re a bunch of busy bodies, you know that? Here Trump earned allll that money with his name, his brand and what did the Republican party ever do to deserve a dime of any of it, huh?
Then he told Melania that she should go out and earn money and she said, “Vat do you vant me to do? Sell Avon?” Trump had to go look that one up but by the time he did Melania was doing something almost as strange, she was selling photos of her eyes as NFTs and even threw a hat into the bargain. Would any of those cheapskates phony up a lousy $180,000 and help the girl out? Fuck no! And after all he did for them! Ronna McDaniel owes him big time, you would think if she knew what was good for her that she would have bought it, but she’d look stupid in the hat anyhow, so it’s just as well.
But then, there was one hope. His last hope but a shining hope indeed. “My Star,” Trump had always called him, “The smartest guy I ever met,” which goes to show you how limited Trump’s social circle is. He spoke worshipfully of Jared Kushner, who else?
And so Jared, being BFFs with Mohammad bin Salman, and MBS being BFFs with golf and desirous of a world wide golf tournament in his name, decided that the Saudi league should come up to the US of A and use daddy-in-laws golf courses. Voila. MBS is happy and that’s always good. You never know when another billion dollar investment is going to go south and if you know the right people they can bail you out. And the best part is daddy-in-law will STFU and stop kvetching nonstop. Jared can’t stand the 3:00 a.m. calls to Ivanka anymore. Even the dog is getting neurotic from lack of sleep.
And those human rights issues? That journalist that was brutally tortured and hacked up with a saw? Pshaw. Why do people make such a big thing out of trifles?
If you’re just now tuning in, the Saudis are talking to Trump about using his golf courses to launch their new Saudi league golf tournaments, and Trump is apparently oblivious to the fact that a lot of people might cancel their memberships in his private clubs if he does. Or, maybe he’s so desperate for cash he isn’t thinking about that. A lot of people don’t have Trump’s cavalier attitude towards human rights atrocities. He made it clear at the time Jamal Khashoggi was horribly murdered that he didn’t give a rats ass. Washington Post:
On whether the crown prince knew about or ordered the killing by Saudi agents in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Trump said in the statement, “maybe he did or maybe he didn’t!” He suggested that U.S. interests in Saudi oil production, weapons purchases and support for administration policies in the Middle East were more important than holding an ally to account, and he stressed the importance of staying in the kingdom’s good graces because they were spending money in the United States.
“They have been a great ally,” he said of the Saudis, and “the United States intends to remain a steadfast partner.” He added: “I’m not going to destroy our economy by being foolish with Saudi Arabia.” […]
Jared Kushner, the former president’s son-in-law, was spotted on the sidelines of a Saudi golf event earlier this month. Bloomberg News reported that Kushner has sought backing from the $500 billion Saudi sovereign wealth fund, which is chaired by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, along with other government-controlled funds in the region.” A spokesman for Kushner did not respond to a message seeking comment.
Longtime professional golfer Phil Mickelson has come under fire in recent days for saying that he was willing to overlook the country’s human rights record and consider supporting the new league. Many critics have said the Saudi government is attempting to buttress its standing by holding high-profile sporting events.
“We know they killed Khashoggi and have a horrible record on human rights,” Mickelson was quoted as saying by Alan Shipnuck, a biographer who wrote a book about him. “They execute people over there for being gay. Knowing all of this, why would I even consider it? Because this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reshape how the PGA Tour operates.”
There you have it, business before any dipsy considerations like human rights. What, are we in this world to be moral, decent people and treat each other properly or are we here to make a buck? I mean, really. Some people. The way they think.
And so Donald is happy that My Star has set this up for him. Oh, so happy. The next thing he’s giving the boy wonder to do is work on getting the G7 or the G20, or better yet both, set up for the years 2024 through 2028 at Doral, Bedminster, wherever, when Donald will be back in the White House and hosting them all. What a wonderful idea. Jared will know how to do it. Jared knows all.
I think, or at least hope that the Saudis have badly misjudged American and European rich people. People who own busineses and have to consider consumer’s opinions. Many if not most don’t give a shit about human rights abuses, but they do care about their bottom line and bad publicity affects that. Golf already has an image problem thanks to Trump. Prior to his political rise it already had a cadre of PGA stars who hate taxes and while not out there preaching didn’t hide their support of Republicans because they wanted their goddamned lower taxes.
For all the Tiger Mania and TV ratings (I respected his ability but always thought he was a selfish asshole and he’s proven it multiple times) golf was in a slow but steady decline for a long time from the professional down to the amateur level. Courses were closing or on the brink. So the PGA engaged in a multi-year “Grow the Game” campaign which started to stop the bleeding with the PGA’s current stars and icons who were retired (like Palmer, Nicklaus and Trevino) enthusiastically taking part and encouraging golf courses to open up opportunities to play for average folks instead of the old country club types it looked like the game might turn the corner.
Trump came along as a political candidate and spoke about golf, and HE wasn’t having any part of average folks, “riff raff” out there on the links. He spoke of the game needing to be an “asprirational” thing, that only those who had acquired enough substance should be able to enjoy and there went the whole grow the game effort. Before I soured on a game I’d loved and dropped the Golf Channel I noticed how those grow the game commercials stopped airing. I notice how talk about initiatives for getting people, even poor kids into golf got less discussion. Trump’s attitude filtered down. Once again courses are having trouble, those average courses no one sees during tournaments on TV.
I suspect the same is happening in Europe as well. Big name places are ok but the rest, the bulk of courses/clubs are having a lot of difficulty. The pandemic might have given a bit of a boost because it’s an outdoor game that would allow people to get together for an activity but that won’t last.
Everything Trump touches dies, and his obsession with golf might have become a kiss of death for what was for a time a wonderful game/activity and sport where old-fashioned sportsmanship (can you name another sport where even at the highest levels and in the biggest events players have called penalties on themselves?) was the order of things.
If there’s any good news it seems that while a lot of PGA pros have grumbled for a long time and took a look at the possible Saudi thing when it came down to it most weren’t ready to jump on board. I think their sponsors might have had a hand in that – if you’re Nike, or Under Armor or other brands that sell lots of non-golf stuff (far more than golf related) would you want someone wearing your logo on some Saudi tour event? I doubt it, and in the end it’s all about money. Unless/until the Saudis are willing to make up for the LIFETIME loss of all that sponsorship money a PGA player who signs on is betting a pretty damned fine financial future on something that might not last very long.
Time to stop supporting the traitors no matter who they are. I was a Rogers fan until his evil narcissm reared his stupid head & fought vaccines. With his platform, he lied, then minimized & so on. He’s dead to me & I don’t give a rat’s ass if he plays another down. He’s helped add to the 900 dead children, & the tens of thousands in grief TODAY because of ignorant, self appointed ‘experts’. Same with Phil. You Phil are supporting evil murderers!!!! Why? Cuz ur a privileged white man, who grew up with privilege, now rich cuz u can hit a little white ball. Fuck You!!!! I wouldn’t care if u shattered ur arm & never swung another club.