Trump says he gave Tiger Woods blessing to date Vanessa Trump: ‘Let them both be happy’

Trump believes the Russia collusion investigation eroded the marriage between his son and Vanessa Trump

President Donald Trump weighed in on the romance between his ex-daughter-in-law Vanessa Trump and his golf buddy Tiger Woods for the first time on Monday.

Trump told reporters in the Oval Office that Woods reached out to the president months ago to inform him of the golfer’s romance with Vanessa, and Trump gave his blessing.

“He told me about it, and I said, ‘Tiger, that’s good, that’s good. I’m very, happy for both.’ But they just let them both be happy. Let them both be happy. They’re both great,” Trump said.

U.S. President Donald Trump presents the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Tiger Woods during an event at the White House in the Rose Garden.  (Scott Taetsch-USA TODAY Sports)

Trump also spoke about Vanessa’s previous marriage with his son, Donald Trump Jr., and suggested that the Russia collusion investigation during the president’s first term impacted the marriage.

“I happen to think the relationship with my son, I think I happened to think the relationship was hurt very badly by the witch hunt that went on Russia, Russia, Russia and all the crap that they put on through who knew nothing about it,” Trump said.

“But Vanessa and Don had a very good relationship. They have incredible children and five incredible children. All good athletes, all great students alike. Right? And, they broke up, you know, quite a while ago. And, which was to me very sad because I think they’re both right.”

The Robert Mueller special counsel investigation into suspected Russian interference in the 2016 election was conducted by special prosecutor Robert Mueller from May 2017 to March 2019, and found no evidence that Trump or any of his aides coordinated with the Russian government to affect the election results.

Tiger Woods arrives to the course during the final round of The Genesis Invitational 2025 at Torrey Pines Golf Course on Feb. 16, 2025 in La Jolla, California.  (Michael Owens/Getty Images)

In February 2018, Vanessa Trump was hospitalized after receiving a letter containing white powder that was later deemed to be non-hazardous. A hazmat crew was called to the scene and began decontamination procedures shortly after the incident. The substance was deemed non-hazardous.

Vanessa Trump filed for divorce from Donald Trump Jr. in March 2018 amid the investigation after a marriage that dated back to 2005. The couple had five children together.

Still, the president appears happy that his son’s ex-wife is now dating Woods.

“I love Tiger and I love Vanessa,” Trump said. “He and I have a very special, very good relationship with Tiger. I played golf with him a couple of times over the last month, and he’s a fantastic guy and a fantastic athlete.”

Woods confirmed his relationship with Vanessa Trump in a social media post on March 23.

“Love is in the air and life is better with you by my side! We look forward to our journey through life together. At this time we would appreciate privacy for all those close to our hearts.,” Woods wrote in his post.

Woods’ son, Charlie, and Vanessa’s daughter, Kai, are both competitive golfers. Kai has committed to play at the University of Miami, while Charlie has played alongside his father at tournaments. Charlie has also played at the U.S. Open qualifiers, and both Charlie and Kai played at the same tournament last month.

Kai Trump (L) and Tiger Woods arrive to the course during the final round of The Genesis Invitational 2025 at Torrey Pines Golf Course on Feb. 16, 2025 in La Jolla, California. (Michael Owens/Getty Images)

Woods was photographed with Kai at the Genesis Invitational. Vanessa and Kai also took in a TGL match last month, which was created by Woods and Rory McIlroy.

After his highly publicized divorce from Elin Nordegren, Woods was linked to Olympic skier Lindsey Vonn in the 2010s. He was dating Erica Herman at the time he won the Masters in 2019, but they, too, had a very public breakup that included sexual harassment allegations and an NDA lawsuit filed by Herman.