Families of those killed on 9/11 protest LIV Golf tournament over Saudi ties

BEDMINSTER, N.J. — Families of those killed on 9/11 are protesting a golf tournament underway at Trump National Golf Course in Bedminster, New Jersey. 

They say they’re outraged that a tournament with ties to Saudi Arabia is taking place 50 miles away from Ground Zero.

“Only these people know what it’s like,” said Richard Tipaldi, of Manasquan. “It’s 21 years already, and it’s like yesterday.”

Tipaldi lost his son, Frank, on 9/11. Now, he says former President Donald Trump has lost his vote.

“I was a supporter of Trump, because I believed in his thought process of ‘Make America Great Again,'” he said.

The protesters said, instead, the former president is putting profit over justice by hosting the contentious tournament at his course.  

“This adds insult to injury,” former New Jersey resident Connie Sellitto said. “He is not just allowing them but welcoming the Saudi-involved golf league.”

“I hope to compare and contrast what it means to be a hero and a coward,” another person added.

Watch: Family whose father died on 9/11 speaks out

Last September, an FBI report showed evidence that two Saudi officials provided support to at least two of the 9/11 terrorists. Fifteen of the 19 hijackers were Saudi nationals.   

 “Nobody’s gotten to the bottom of 9/11, unfortunately,” Trump said Thursday. 

Tottenville resident Eddie Bracken lost his 36-year-old sister on 9/11, and says he’s disappointed in the president he once supported. 

“He knows exactly what the Saudis did and why they did it. It’s an act of war on America,” he said. “And you’ll never be voted in again by me or any of my family members.”

The former president said this golf tournament brings in higher salaries than others, even calling it a gold rush. The winner of this weekend’s tournament gets $4 million, nearly $1.5 million more than the Masters’ top prize.