Olympics scheming with Trump to host golf tournament at one of his courses

Donald Trump at the Trump International Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey on July 28, 2022 (Image: Shutterstock)

President Donald Trump continues to meddle with global sports events coming to the U.S., with a new report from Politico revealing that he is scheming with the Olympics organizers to create a golf tournament, to be held at his own West Coast golf course.

Los Angeles is set to play host to the 2028 Summer Olympics, coming shortly after the U.S. served as one of the host nations for the 2026 World Cup. As happened with the globally recognized soccer tournament, Politico reported on Tuesday that Trump is attempting to use the Olympics to personally enrich himself, while also furthering his own golf obsession.

"Organizers of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics are working with the Trump administration to put on a tournament at the Trump National Golf Club Los Angeles right before the Summer Games, according to two people familiar with the planning," Politico's report explained. "The event, which would pair professional golfers with amateur participants in a format commonly known as a 'pro-am' tournament, is not expected to be an official Olympic event."

The report continued: "But it is being considered as a high-profile kickoff to the Games in a sport and location that Trump values. The prospect of holding a marquee Olympics-adjacent event at a golf course owned by the presidential family’s Trump Organization highlights the extent to which organizers believe maintaining a productive relationship with the White House is essential to delivering a successful Games."

Two anonymous sources close to the ongoing discussions for the tournament confirmed the story to Politico, while the Olympics organizing body, LA28, declined to comment. The sources stressed that the situation remains "fluid and still subject to change."

Politico explained that putting on the Olympic Games requires "extensive federal involvement on everything from security and transportation to immigration and visa processing for athletes and visitors," even if the process is formally handled by local and international "sports bodies." The need for cooperation with the White House is likely to be more important under this administration, given its wide-ranging travel ban for numerous countries, requiring the Olympics and the World Cup to rely on federal approval for travel exemptions for athletes from affected nations.

"Since the United States earned co-hosting rights for this year’s World Cup, soccer executives have appealed to Trump to apply such exemptions to permit entry for qualifying teams," Politico added. "President Gianni Infantino of FIFA, the soccer governing body that stages the World Cup, has met with Trump more than a dozen times since the president returned to office."

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