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Rory McIlroy whacks Trump and says he ‘doesn’t agree with anything he’s said’ and that he won’t golf with him again

GOLFER Rory McIlroy has vowed to never play golf with Trump again, after he was slammed by his fans for teeing up with the president in 2017.

Appearing on a podcast, the world number one criticized Trump for politicizing the coronavirus pandemic, and said he didn't agree with anything he has said.

 Donald Trump speaks with golfer Rory McIlroy in 2017
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Donald Trump speaks with golfer Rory McIlroy in 2017Credit: Getty Images - Getty

When asked by the hosts of the McKellar Podcast, a golfing show, if would ever play with Trump again he said: "No, I wouldn't."

"I’ll sit here and say the day that I did spend with him and others was very enjoyable," McIlroy admitted. "He’s very charismatic, he was nice to everyone — it didn’t matter whether you were me or guys in the cart barn or the pro at the golf club.

"He has something," he continued. "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.

 Trump at the World Golf Championships-Cadillac Championship at Trump National Doral Blue Monster Course on March 6, 2016
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Trump at the World Golf Championships-Cadillac Championship at Trump National Doral Blue Monster Course on March 6, 2016Credit: PA:Press Association

"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 McIlroy was adamant that he didn't agree with everything "or in fact anything" Trump says.

"We’re in the midst of something that’s pretty serious right now and the fact that he’s trying to politicize 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,’’ the pro said.

“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.’’

 "It’s not the way a leader should act," McIlroy said of Trump
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"It’s not the way a leader should act," McIlroy said of TrumpCredit: Getty - Contributor

According to the golfer, he was called a bigot and fascist by his followers on social media.

"Guilt by association," he said of the reaction his round provoked from the public.

When asked if the reason he hasn’t played again with Trump was by choice, McIlroy said: “Out of choice.

"I haven’t done it since, so there’s one answer to [your] question," he added.

 

“Whether you respect the person who holds that position or not, you respect the office that he holds,” McIlroy said at the time, insisting it wasn't "an endorsement nor a political statement of any kind".

At the time, NBA star Stephen Curry publicly criticized pro-Trump comments from the chief executive of his then-sponsor Under Armour, while several members of the New England patriots skipped a visit to the White House.

“Golf was our common ground, nothing else," McIlroy said in 2017 following the backlash. I’ve traveled all over the world and have been fortunate enough to befriend people from many different countries, beliefs and cultures.”