Tiger Woods isn’t backing down from love – no matter what people think.
Amid growing chatter surrounding his relationship with Vanessa Trump, the ex-wife of Donald Trump Jr., Tiger Woods has reportedly responded to his inner circle’s concerns with a blunt four-word retort: “F**k what people think.”
According to a Daily Mail report, several of Woods‘ longtime friends privately expressed concerns about the optics of dating someone with deep political ties, especially given Woods’ famously neutral public persona.
The concern wasn’t just about privacy – it was about perception, especially with Vanessa’s close connections to the Trump family and its high-profile political influence.
“Tiger has always been publicly apolitical,” one source explained. “He has his beliefs and opinions, of course, but he doesn’t make a public spectacle of his political leanings. And dating someone in a political family looks like he’s choosing a side.”
But that political context wasn’t a dealbreaker for the 15-time major champion, who reportedly made it clear that he didn’t care about potential public backlash. Instead, he chose to prioritize his relationship.
“You can’t really tell Tiger to do something he doesn’t want to do,” the insider added. “And he felt like this was an important enough relationship to go public with. If someone has a problem, that’s on them, not him.”
Public image vs. personal priorities
While Woods‘ team may have been worried about professional branding, it appears his family had no such qualms.
The golfer’s two children, Sam and Charlie – whom he shares with ex-wife Elin Nordegren – are said to be “happy and understood” the nature of the relationship.
As for Vanessa Trump, she and Donald Jr. were married from 2005 until 2018 and have five children together. Her post-divorce life had remained relatively low-profile until her link with Woods began surfacing in the media earlier this year.
Reports indicate that Woods and Vanessa began their relationship as friends before it turned romantic, eventually stepping out publicly in March 2025.
In a rare and affectionate post on X (formerly Twitter), Woods shared a picture of the couple with the caption, “Love is in the air and life is better with you by my side! We look forward to our journey through life together.”
He added a simple but clear request: “At this time we would appreciate privacy to all those close to our hearts.”
Despite worries from some corners of his circle, Woods seems unfazed by external opinions. For him, the decision to date Vanessa wasn’t about politics – it was personal.
“She’s his girlfriend who happens to have the Trump last name,” said the source.
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