Tiger Woods was arrested on DUI charges after he rolled over his SUV while trying to speed past a truck. While the accident drew a lot of spotlight and waves of criticism against the Hall of Famer, President Donald Trump has nothing but sympathy for him.

“I feel so badly [for him]. He’s got some difficulty. There was an accident, and that’s all I know. He’s a very close friend of mine; he’s an amazing person, an amazing man. But some difficulty,” President Trump said in Miami when asked about Woods’s accident.

Woods, who turned 50 last December, clipped the back of a truck while trying to swerve and avoid a collision. He emerged unscathed after crawling through the door. Woods was later charged with two counts of misdemeanors. There were no drugs or medication in the car, the sheriff’s office reported. While he agreed to a breathalyzer test, which resulted in a 0.00% blood alcohol concentration, he exercised his legal right to refuse a urine test, leading to an additional charge for refusal to submit to a lawful test.

Thankfully, no cars were on the opposite side of the road, a narrow two-lane road near the 200 block of Beach Road. The driver of the truck was safe as well. According to the report, Woods was “cooperative” with officers at the scene, but he was “careful not to incriminate himself.”

When asked about whether Woods had been physically injured in the wreck or not, Trump stated, “I don’t want to talk about it.”

Trump’s friendship with Woods has only grown in recent years. They first met in the early 2000s at Trump-owned golf courses. Since then, they have played multiple rounds of golf together at various Trump-owned courses, including in West Palm Beach and Jupiter, Florida, often during Trump’s presidency and thereafter.

After Woods won the Masters in April, Trump awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom at the White House Rose Garden on May 6, 2019, hailing him as a global symbol of American excellence. On February 9, 2025, the two were seen playing a round of golf together at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach just before Trump attended the Super Bowl. Notably, Tiger Woods is also in a relationship with Vanessa Trump, who was earlier married to POTUS’s son Donald Trump Jr.

“He told me about it, and I said, ‘Tiger, that’s good, that’s good. I’m very happy for both.’ But they just let them both be happy. Let them both be happy. They’re both great,” Trump said in March 2025 while speaking about Woods & Vanessa’s relationship.

Most recently, as uncertainty surrounding Woods’s return for the 2026 Masters Tournament kept looming over, Trump predicted that while Woods will be there, he is “not going to play” in the tournament.

An image from Associated Press showed that Tiger Woods was wearing golf gear while driving the car. Still, the accident puts his Masters spot in doubt, even though he has been released from jail.

No Special Treatment For Tiger Woods, Says Martin County Sheriff

Local law enforcement emphasized a commitment to standard judicial procedure. Martin County Sheriff John Budensiek explained how his department deals with arresting a celebrity like Tiger Woods.

“We know we arrested a high-profile figure,” Budensiek told reporters. “I’m not trying to dramatize, but it doesn’t matter who you are. If you break the law, we’re going to follow the law. That’s a really easy path to take.”

Budensiek also clarified that while the law was applied strictly, the department took measures to ensure the athlete’s safety while in custody. Woods was booked into the Martin County jail at approximately 3:00 p.m., nearly one hour after the accident. He was held for a mandatory eight-hour period for further investigation.

“We’re not going to put him in general population,” Budensiek explained. “He’s not going to be with other inmates that can hurt him or try to capitalize on what he did. He’ll pay the price, but he’s not going to pay the price by getting punished in jail.”

He was released around 11:30 PM. Woods was seen sitting in the passenger’s seat while leaving the Martin County jail. At a time like this, the support of close friends like Donald Trump remains a pillar for Woods, even as the difficulty of his physical and legal situation deepens. More importantly, President Trump made these supportive comments before the Martin County Sheriff’s Office announced that Woods had been arrested and charged with driving under the influence (DUI), and it holds weight.