Rory McIlroy slams Donald Trump’s ‘terrible’ handling of coronavirus crisis and vows never to play golf with him again
RORY McILROY has slammed Donald Trump's "terrible" handling of the coronavirus crisis.
And the world No 1 - who returns to action in a £2.4million charity skins game on Sunday - has vowed NEVER to play golf with the US President ever again.
Northern Ireland’s four-time Major champion apologised to anyone he “p***ed off” after a round with Trump at his International course in Florida in February 2017.
Back then McIlroy said he would have to think twice about teeing off with the golf-mad president a second time.
But Trump’s calamitous handling of the Covid-19 pandemic, in which he suggested researching whether injecting disinfectant could help to treat coronavirus after previously dismissing the threat of the killer virus altogether, has strengthened McIlroy’s desire to have absolutely nothing to do with the president again.
McIlroy, who will partner Dustin Johnson in a made-for-TV match against Rickie Fowler and Matthew Wolff to raise funds for coronavirus relief this weekend, made his startling remarks in the McKellar Golf podcast.
The 31-year-old said: “We’re in the midst of something that’s pretty serious right now and the fact that he’s trying to politicise it and make it a campaign rally and say we’re administering the most tests in world like it is a contest — there’s something that just is terrible.
“It’s not the way a leader should act. There’s a sort of diplomacy that you need to have, and I don’t think he’s showing that, especially in these times.”
McIlroy, whose incredible £8.5m mansion is close to Trump’s residence in Palm Beach, Florida, said that he was branded a “fascist” and a “bigot” for playing with him three years ago.
And though social media trolling is not enough to put him off playing again in the future, Trump’s rhetoric, at a time when his country has the most coronavirus deaths in the world, certainly is.
Asked if he would play with Trump again, the 2014 Open champion said: “I probably wouldn’t, no.
“He’s very charismatic, he was nice to everyone [when we played]. It didn’t matter whether you were me or guys in the cart barn or the pro at the golf club.
'I WOULDN'T PLAY WITH HIM AGAIN'
“He has something. He obviously has something or he wouldn’t be in the White House, right?
“He has something whatever it is, an X factor, charisma, whatever. Most people that he came across that day he was cordial to, he was nice and personable. That was my only interaction with him the day I had with him.
“But that doesn’t mean I agree with everything, or, in fact, anything that he says.
“I don’t know if he’d want to play with me again after what I just said. I know it’s very self-serving of me to say ‘No’ and if I don’t, then it means then I’m not putting myself in position to be put under scrutiny and that I’m avoiding that.”
golf news
McIlroy recently announced he plans to play the first three tournaments when the PGA Tour resumes next month.
The Charles Schwab Challenge in Texas on June 11 is first up, and specially chartered jets will fly pros to the RBC Heritage and Travelers Championship in the following weeks.
McIlroy said: “I'm planning to play the first three events. I miss the competition. I miss the buzz of getting into contention and playing in those last few groups on a Sunday.”