President Trump praised Tiger Woods’ plea deal as “very fair” and joked the golfer should finally hire a driver.
Woods, 49, appeared at a Florida courthouse Wednesday to formalize the agreement, which wipes out a potential jail sentence for his March DUI arrest and replaces it with a reckless-driving conviction. The deal carries a five-year suspension of his driver’s license and $1,000 in fines. He was found with two hydrocodone pills in his possession after the rollover crash in Jupiter, Florida.
Vanessa Trump, 47, the former daughter-in-law of the president and Woods’ girlfriend, accompanied him to the hearing. She shares five children with Donald Trump Jr.
Trump connected the plea to his own long-running advice for the 15-time major champion. “I think he’s going to have somebody drive him. I told him that a long time ago, ‘Why do you get somebody to drive you?’ So he’s going to have somebody drive him from now on,” he told reporters in the Oval Office.
The president framed the outcome as personal vindication for a man he considers a friend. “I thought it was very fair… He’s just a very special guy. I’m glad that was resolved.”
Trump’s defense of Woods extended to the root cause of the incident. “He suffers great pain… because of his horrible back. He had, in my opinion, a bad doctor,” he said. Woods underwent multiple back surgeries during his career, including spinal fusion in 2017 that preceded his remarkable 2019 Masters victory.
The president’s warm characterization of Woods has remained consistent through the golfer’s personal and legal troubles. “I know Tiger very well. He’s a great guy. He’s unique in so many ways, and especially as an athlete, but also as a man,” Trump added.
The March arrest occurred when Woods was found asleep at the wheel of his damaged Mercedes-Benz, with the engine running and brake lights illuminated. Police observed fresh damage to the driver’s side of the vehicle, including two flat tires and scuffed rims. Woods told officers he was coming from Los Angeles for a golf shoot, though he had no recollection of how his car ended up in the condition it was in. He failed multiple field sobriety tests but registered 0.00 on a breathalyzer, pointing to prescription medication rather than alcohol as the cause of impairment.
The five-year license suspension represents one of the stiffer penalties available under Florida’s DUI diversion programs, though Woods avoided the mandatory jail time and felony record that could have accompanied a conviction at trial.
Woods and Vanessa Trump were first linked romantically in early 2024, several months after she finalized her divorce from Donald Trump Jr. Following 12 years of marriage.
Woods is scheduled to compete at the Genesis Invitational in Los Angeles next month.