Golf legend Jack Nicklaus rarely throws himself in the limelight these days. The 80-year-old icon and record 18-time major winner has never been one to ruffle feathers, outside of maybe the time he explained why Black people weren't playing at golf's highest level back in 1994.
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The Golden Bear, who is worth an estimated $320 million, lives a quiet and reserved life with his wife Barbara in North Palm Beach, Florida, which sits just a quick car ride down the highway from Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach.
As the 2020 Presidential Election comes to a head on November 3, Nicklaus endorsed Trump over Democratic nominee Joe Biden. He warned against a "socialist America" and called President Trump "more diverse than any president I have seen."
Jack Nicklaus Endorses Donald Trump
Get out and vote. I did! pic.twitter.com/IfQb3NeSO3
— Jack Nicklaus (@jacknicklaus) October 29, 2020
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Nicklaus wrote on Twitter Wednesday night that he had already voted for Trump and encouraged others to do so in support of the "American dream." Despite disagreeing with the way the president tweets or talks, he argued that the election is not a "personality contest."
Here's the full, lengthy statement:
"Through the years, I have been blessed to personally know several presidents on both sides of the aisle. All were good people. All loved their country. And all believed in the American Dream."
"I have had the privilege over the last 3 1/2 years to get to know our current president a little more as his term has progressed. I have been very disappointed at what he's had to put up with from many directions, but with that, I have seen a resolve and a determination to do the right thing for our country. He has delivered on his promises. He's worked for the average person. In my opinion, he has been more diverse than any President I have seen and has tried to help people from all walks of life—equally."
"I'm just a guy from Ohio and a Midwestern middle-class family, whose grandfathers both worked on the railroad. They gave their son — my father — the opportunity to pursue his education and his American Dream. I was taught strong family values and worked hard to pursue my own dreams — my own American dream. I also believe that Donald Trump's policies will bring the American Dream to many families across the nation who are still trying to achieve it."
"You might not like the way our President says or tweets some things — and trust me, I have told him that! — but I have learned to look past that and focus on what he's tried to accomplish. This is not a personality contest; it's about patriotism, policies and the people they impact. His love for America and its citizens, and putting his country first, has come through loud and clear. How he has said it has not been important to me. What has been important are his actions. Now, you have the opportunity to take action."
"I know we are only a few days from Nov. 3 and Election Day, but I am certain many of you have not yet made up your minds. But if we want to continue to have the opportunity to pursue the American Dream, and not evolve into a socialist America and have the government run your life, then I strongly recommend you consider Donald J. Trump for another 4 years. I certainly have and have already cast my vote for him!"
Trump responded to the tweet on social media by saying, "Jack, this is a Great Honor. Thank you!" Nicklaus joins fellow retired athletes such as Herschel Walker and Mariano Rivera to voice their support for Trump.
Nicklaus & Trump's History
AP Photo/Andrew Harnik (left), AP Photo/Ted S. Warren (right)
Nicklaus, of course, has known Trump for longer than the last four years. According to the Golf Channel, they've done plenty of business together. Nicklaus designed the Trump Golf Links at Ferry Point in New York, a golf course paid for by taxpayers that Trump worked a deal out "allowing him to keep almost every dollar that flows in," according to The Washington Post.
The Golf Channel also noted that Trump designated $20 million in his 2020 fiscal plan "directed towards a mobile project at a Miami children's hospital in Nicklaus' name." The president and greatest golfer of all time have also teed off together at golf clubs before, even both playing with Tiger Woods back in 2019.
The two also both tested positive for COVID-19 in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, which has infected nearly nine million Americans and killed more than 220,000.
As many battleground states are wrapping up their early voting periods, including Florida and Ohio, the legendary golfer's endorsement likely comes at the perfect time for the Republican party against the Democrats. Nicklaus has won 73 PGA Tour events and six Master's Tournaments at Augusta National Golf Club, and he's hoping Donald Trump walks away from the 2020 election victorious.
