Donald Trump wades into controversial debate involving Newcastle United owners PIF

Ever since PIF’s takeover of Newcastle United in 2021 the club has been tied to consequential names and weighty politics.

And now former US President Donald Trump has been linked to the club through his friendship with Untied chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan and the LIV golf tour.

It was announced last week the Saudi-backed tour would merge with their rivals PIF Golf, settling a dispute which was heading for years in a courtroom.

Trump has been vocal in his support for the new LIV tour with some of his golf courses recently hosting their events.

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So, when the unexpected news of the merger broke he immediately took to Truth Social to share his thoughts- in true Trump style.

“GREAT NEWS FROM LIV GOLF,” he wrote. “A BIG, BEAUTIFUL, AND GLAMOROUS DEAL FOR THE WONDERDUL WORLD OF GOLF. CONGRATS TO ALL!!!”

After 18 months, golf’s civil war came to an end last week after the merger dissolving the saga of suing and counter-suing.

Golfers such as Phil Mickelson, Brooks Koepka, Patrick Reed and Dustin Johnson defected to the LIV tour for hundreds of millions of dollars. Consequently they were branded as traitors and alledgedly banned from PGA events and fined.

It was reported last month Newcastle United director Amanda Staveley was enlisted by PIF to settle the dispute before the trial date and travelled to the Masters in April to attempt just that.

And now it seems Staveley’s peacemaker skills are to thank for saving the majority owners of Newcastle an unimaginable amount of money.

But, strangely, Trump saw this all coming. Last July he wrote: “All of those golfers that remain ‘loyal’ to the very disloyal PGA... will pay a big price when the inevitable merger with LIV comes.

“If you don’t take the money now, you will get nothing after the merger takes place, and only say how smart the original signees were.”