Police body camera footage showed the golfer looking stunned as he was handcuffed after failing a breathalyzer test.
Published April 3, 2026
Body camera footage of Tiger Woods, who was arrested for drunk driving, shows that after he crashed his car in Florida last week, he pulled out his cell phone and told a sheriff’s deputy he was “just talking to the president.”
The phone conversation was not captured on video, but Woods can be heard saying “Thank you very much” as he hung up and the deputy approached him. It’s unclear whether Woods was referring to President Donald Trump, whose ex-daughter-in-law Vanessa Trump is dating Woods.
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Immediately after his arrest on March 27, President Trump was asked about Woods, telling reporters: “I feel very bad. He’s going through some troubles. He’s a very close friend of mine. He’s a great person. A great guy. But he’s going through some troubles.”
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether Trump spoke with Woods after the crash.
Footage also showed Woods looking surprised as he was handcuffed after failing a breathalyzer test, and footage from the back of the police car showed the handcuffed golfer hiccuping, yawning and nodding repeatedly during the 15-minute run.
Woods told police he was looking at his cell phone and changing the radio station when his speeding Land Rover crashed into the back of a truck on a residential street on Jupiter Island and overturned. There were no injuries.
Before his arrest, Woods told officers as he knelt on the grass, “I looked down at my cell phone and all of a sudden I heard a bang.”
Body camera footage shows Martin County Sheriff’s Deputy Tatiana Revenner administering a road sobriety test and telling Woods, “I believe your normal faculties are impaired, and because you have been exposed to an unknown substance, you are being arrested for DUI at this time.”
“Am I going to be arrested?” Woods replied.
“Yes, sir,” Revenor said.
After handcuffing Woods, police searched his pockets and found two white pills.
After the officer removed the pills, Woods said, “That’s Norco,” referring to painkillers containing acetaminophen and the opioid hydrocodone. Authorities later determined that Woods was in possession of hydrocodone.
In the body camera footage, Woods told Lebener that he had not had any alcohol and had taken “several” drugs earlier in the day, but Woods’ words are silenced in the released video as he describes several drugs.
“I’m not drunk. I’m on prescription medication,” Woods said after being taken to the DUI room where he was tested for drunken driving, according to a supplemental sheriff’s office report released Thursday.
Woods, 50, pleaded not guilty Tuesday to the charge of driving under the influence. He released a statement Tuesday night saying he would be stepping away indefinitely “to undergo treatment and focus on his health.”
Authorities said Woods agreed to a breathalyzer test, which showed no signs of alcohol, but refused a urine test. A change in Florida law last year made it a misdemeanor to refuse a police officer’s request for a breath, blood or urine test, even for a first-time offender.
During a breathalyzer test, deputies noticed Woods was limp and wearing a compression sock on his right knee. Woods said he has undergone seven back surgeries and more than 20 surgeries on his right leg, which caused his ankle to become stiff while walking.
