I’ve long been a fan of Tiger, especially when he was at his peak powers. For several years, when asked what I wanted to do for Father’s Day, I’d answer watch Tiger in the U.S. Open. Tiger’s personal life got exposed, and injuries took a toll on his game. His inability to accept his Blackness wasn’t overridden by the example he set as an athlete, even if he decided to be Cablinasian.
I didn’t know much about Vanessa Trump, besides her thirteen-year marriage to Donald Trump, Jr, that produced five children. A brief background check finds she’s never had a problem dating men of color though she has a history of making bad choices. One of her first beaus was a Latin Kings gang member who served 16 months for assault (negligent homicide after accidentally shooting a friend). They attended the same middle school until Valentin Rivera did a stint in juvenile detention. The pair reunited in high school and became serious. Vanessa would go with Valentin to gang meetings, sitting outside as she wasn’t a member and couldn’t join because she wasn’t Latin.
When Valentin was imprisoned, Vanessa was devastated but stood by her man. She wrote him letters and visited twice until her mother stopped her from going. In her letters she expressed her desire to be taken to prom when he got out and have his baby.
“I miss you a lot,” she wrote, “especially since it’s my birthday coming up. And I wish you were here to celebrate with me. But you’ll be out for my 18th birthday. I can’t wait till that year because a lot’s going to happen. My 18th birthday, you’ll be back in my arms, my prom, and I want to get pregnant and have a baby with you after January.”
Valentin did get out in time to take her to prom. They eventually broke up after Vanessa had a brief fling with Leonardo DiCaprio. Later that year, Vanessa was associated with Saudi prince Khalid bin Bandar bin Sultan Al Saud. The relationship ended in 2001, when Khalid bin Bandar left the U.S. after his Saudi ambassador father, Bandar bin Sultan Al Saud, was suspected of having indirect ties to individuals linked with the Al Qaeda hijackers.
On November 12, 2005, Vanessa married Donald Trump Jr. The wedding was held at Mar-a-Lago, and the service was officiated by Trump Jr.’s aunt, Judge Maryanne Trump Barry. Don Jr. proposed to her with a $100,000 ring that he received as a gift from a jeweler in exchange for proposing to her in front of paparazzi outside the jeweler’s store at the Short Hills mall in New Jersey.
Vanessa had a career as a model and actress before meeting Don Jr. She also ran a nightclub with her sister for a brief period. She found Don Jr. to be cheap, keeping her on an allowance and a tight leash. She is alleged to have had a relationship with someone from her secret service detail. Don Jr. didn’t mind, as he was openly seeing Kimberly Guilfoyle and others. On March 15, 2018, Vanessa filed for an uncontested divorce which was settled at the end of 2018.
Tiger hasn’t always chosen well, either. His infamous cheating scandal while married to Elin Nordegren, led to divorce. One of the women he slept with while still married was porn star Holly Sampson. She wrote of their encounter months after the divorce. Their shared experiences with adult film stars may have given him something to discuss with Donald J. Trump on their golf outings. The two remain close. Tiger also dated singer LeAnn Rimes (her father thought him too old for her) and skier Lindsey Vonn.
Woods and Trump dated quietly for months before going public. Everyone deserves a chance at happiness, though arguably, each had that opportunity. Tiger was a serial cheater. Vanessa has exes in her Rolodex who can call up unsavory characters should he get out of line.
