In many ways, Arnold Palmer’s resume is unparalleled. While many other golfing greats — like Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods — won more tournaments and majors and earned more money on the course, Palmer is acknowledged as the immortal who grew the sport’s popularity.
With his reckless abandon play, go-for-it-all swing and his charisma, the television cameras loved him — and so did the growing masses who followed the game in the 1960s and ‘70s.
Palmer won 62 PGA tournaments (fifth all time), and assorted other titles from around the globe. He won four Masters titles, a U.S. Open championship and two British Opens.
But Donald Trump had a much different take on Palmer, who passed away in September 2016.
At a rally at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport in Unity, Pa., on Saturday afternoon, Trump held up Palmer, who came from nearby Latrobe, as a symbol of a macho male.
“Arnold Palmer was all man and I say that in all due respect to women, and I love women, but this is a guy that was all man,” Trump said. “This man was strong and tough, and I refuse to say it, but when he took the showers with other pros, they came out of there. They said, ‘Oh my God. That’s unbelievable,’” Trump said with a laugh.
“I had to say. We have women that are highly sophisticated here, but they used to look at Arnold as a man.”
As the crowd laughed, Trump chuckled with them.
“I had to say it,” he said.
According to a CNN producer, “Trump began his rally tonight in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, by telling the life story of Arnold Palmer. By my count, it was 12 minutes and 23 seconds of Arnold Palmer. He’d only talked for 13 seconds before that began.”
Palmer died before Trump was elected president in 2016, but Palmer’s daughter Peg said that while her father appreciated Trump’s support of golf, he was not a supporter.
“My dad didn’t like people who act like they’re better than other people,” she said. “He had no patience for people who are dishonest and cheat.
“My dad was disciplined. He wanted to be a good role model. He was appalled by Trump’s lack of civility and what he began to see as Trump’s lack of character. … What would my dad think of Donald Trump today? I think he’d cringe.”
