Lydia Ko; Donald Trump. Photo: AFP
Donald Trump has taken a brief break from politics to post a social media message congratulating Lydia Ko on winning gold at the Olympics and calling her a "most impressive" person.
The 27-year-old New Zealander won in Paris over the weekend with a two-point lead over silver medallist Esther Henseleit of Germany.
Trump, the 78-year-old former US President and famed golf enthusiast, fondly recounted meeting Ko in a message on his Truth Social platform.
"Congratulations to Lydia Ko on winning the Olympic gold medal in golf," said Trump.
"I met her at Trump Turnberry in Scotland, and she is most impressive, not only with her golf clubs, but also as a person. Way to go Lydia!"
Ko won with a 10-under-par performance at Le Golf National on Saturday that also qualified her for the LPGA Hall of Fame.
Last week, she told RNZ she had "nothing to lose" heading into the final round.
"It's pretty cool that all three of the Olympics that I played in, I'm in the final group for all three of them. I actually didn't think of that until a couple of days ago. It's kind of like a bucket list that has been checked," she said.
"Because I have two medals under my belt, I kind of feel like I've got nothing to lose. I know that I'm going to give it my all, and I'm going to try my 100 percent.
"If it's meant to happen, it's going to happen."
Trump is currently vying for a second presidency of the United States. His tribute to Ko on Truth Social was posted in between political messages, most of which are disparaging to his primary rival Kamala Harris.
