It seems that every few years, just when the world has almost forgotten about Tiger Woods, he crashes back into the headlines.
The famous golfer knows a thing or two about vehicle wrecks, DUIs and sexual scandals, but he may have forgotten that most arrests these days include cop cams that always find their way onto the internet.
It’s always a good day for social media when this happens—much like when Justin Timberlake was arrested for a DUI just before his world tour.
But for some reason, Woods’ latest arrest involved a prominent member of the United States: President Donald Trump.
After crashing his SUV last week in Florida, Tiger Woods took out his phone and told a deputy, “I was just talking to the president,” according to body‑camera footage released Thursday, April 2, showing the golfer’s arrest on a DUI charge.
The phone conversation wasn’t captured on video, but Woods could be heard saying, “Thank you so much,” as he hung up and the deputy approached.
It wasn’t clear if Woods was referring to President Donald Trump, whose former daughter‑in‑law, Vanessa Trump, is dating Woods.
Shortly after the March 27 arrest, President Trump was asked about Woods and told reporters: “I feel so badly. He’s got some difficulty. Very close friend of mine. He’s an amazing person. Amazing man. But some difficulty.”
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether Trump spoke to Woods after the crash.
The footage also shows Woods appearing astonished as he was handcuffed after failing a field sobriety test, and deputies removing two pills from his pocket.
Separate footage from the back seat of the patrol car shows the handcuffed golfer hiccuping, yawning and repeatedly nodding off during the 15‑minute ride.
Woods told authorities he was looking at his phone and changing the radio station when his speeding Land Rover clipped the back of a truck and rolled onto its side on a residential road on Jupiter Island. No one was injured in the afternoon crash. “I looked down at my phone, and all of a sudden–– boom,” Woods told an officer as he kneeled on a lawn before his arrest.
Woods, 50, was charged with DUI and failure to submit to a DUI test following the two‑vehicle crash on Jupiter Island, where he has a home.
But Woods has taken more hits behind the wheel than most golfers take on the green. In 2009, his vehicle collided with a fire hydrant and a tree near his home, and he later paid a $164 fine for careless driving.
In 2017, Woods was allegedly found asleep behind the wheel of his SUV at a traffic light. He was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence, initially pleaded not guilty, then agreed to a plea deal requiring 50 hours of community service, one year of probation and a $250 fine for reckless driving.
Now, the fifteen-time major champion entered a plea of not guilty to charges of misdemeanor DUI with property damage and refusal to submit to a lawful test. Attorney Douglas Duncan of West Palm Beach, Florida, filed the not‑guilty plea and a demand for a jury trial in Martin County Circuit Court in Stuart, Florida. Woods also waived his arraignment hearing, which had been scheduled for April 23.