Tiger Woods could have been in serious trouble. The 50-year-old, who was involved in an SUV crash in Jupiter Island, Florida last month, pleaded not guilty to DUI charges. He is currently in rehab. However, the entire saga has put his relationship with President Donald Trump’s former daughter-in-law, Vanessa, in spotlight. While reports about the model and socialite being furious with her partner emerged initially, it was revealed recently that she is not leaving Woods.
Woods could be seen taking out his phone, dialing President Trump after deputies processed him at the crash site. “I was just talking to the president,” he said, according to body camera footage. The phone conversation was not captured on video, but Woods could be heard saying, “Thank you so much,” as he hung up and the deputy approached.
Shortly after the golfer’s March 27 arrest, 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.”
Why Vanessa Trump is not leaving Tiger Woods
One clear angle is Vanessa’s daughter Kai. One insider told PEOPLE that Woods is ‘especially close’ with the 18-year-old. Even as the star golfer pulles out of Masters 2026, Kai showed her support. She wore a white hoodie from the the 82-time PGA tour winner’s Sun Day Red brand in a video posted on social media.
Speaking about Vanessa’s decision, the insider said: “She’s not leaving him. They’re very close as a family. He’s fully integrated now and especially close with Kai.”
“Things will settle down. [Vanessa’s] handling it well and just not saying much.”
Tiger Woods arrest row
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.
“I looked down at my phone, and all of a sudden — boom,” Woods told an officer as he knelt on a lawn, prior to his arrest.
Body camera footage shows Martin County Sheriff’s Deputy Tatiana Levenar then conducting a roadside sobriety test and telling Woods: “I do believe your normal faculties are impaired, and you’re under an unknown substance, so at this time you’re under arrest for DUI.”
“I’m being arrested?” Woods responded.
“Yes, sir,” Levenar said.
After handcuffing Woods, authorities searched his pockets and found two white pills.
“That’s a Norco,” Woods said after an officer pulled out the pills, referring to a painkiller that contains acetaminophen and the opioid hydrocodone. Authorities would later confirm that Woods was in possession of hydrocodone.
(With AP inputs)
