Donald Trump suggested that part of the reason for his son Donald Trump Jr’s split with his ex-wife Vanessa Trump, was due to a “witch hunt.”
The president said the separation had been “very sad” for him and that his son had been put through a lot of “crap,” in the aftermath of an investigation into Russian interference with the 2016 presidential election.
Don Jr. and Vanessa Trump were married for 12 years before their divorce in 2018. They share five children together: Kai, 17, Donald Trump III, 16, Tristan, 13, Spencer, 12, and Chloe, 10.
Last month, golfer Tiger Woods announced on Instagram that he and Vanessa Trump were in a relationship.
On Monday, Trump was asked for his thoughts on Woods becoming “part of the broader Trump family.” "Well, I love Tiger and I love Vanessa and they had a great relationship,” the president replied.
“I happen to think the relationship with my son...was hurt very badly by the witch hunt that went on, Russia, Russia, Russia...and all the crap that they put Don through – who knew nothing about it.”
The president appears to be referring to the media attention surrounding an investigation by former FBI director Robert Mueller into the possibility of collusion between the Trump campaign and Russian actors in the run-up to the 2016 presidential election.
Don Jr. was one of those investigated by Mueller and accused of helping to broker meetings between Russian officials and his father, as well as seeking to unearth compromising information on then-presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.
However, on Monday, Trump added that despite his son’s break-up being “to me, very sad,” Woods had given him a heads up about the development and was happy for the new couple.
“Tiger actually called me a couple of months ago… he and I have a very special relationship,” he said. “I played golf with him a couple of times over the last month and he’s a fantastic guy and a fantastic athlete and he told me about it.”
He continued: “I said Tiger, ‘It’s good I’m very happy for both.’ Let them both be happy… they’re both great.”
The president is not the only Trump family member to bless the new couple. Ivanka Trump has also addressed her former sister-in-law’s relationship with Woods.
The 43-year-old businesswoman reacted to Woods’s Instagram post, writing “So happy for you both!,”, along with two smiling face emojis with red hearts.
