Trump mocked Barack Obama more than two dozen times for going golfing while there were issues that needed the White House’s attention. “Can you believe that, with all of the problems and difficulties facing the U.S., President Obama spent the day playing golf?” Trump said in 2014. In August 2016 he vowed that if he became president, he wouldn’t have time for sport: “I’m going to be working for you, I’m not going to have time to go play golf.” Erm.
Hole 16: Warning, water hazard
In January, as deadly wildfires raged across California, Trump threatened to withhold aid to the state unless it distributed more water to the Los Angeles area. “They have a valve — think of a sink, but multiply it by many thousands of times the size of it, it’s massive,” Trump told reporters. “And you turn it back toward Los Angeles. Why aren’t they doing it?” Local officials dealing with water resources said this was not the cause of the problem, while his political opponents suspected an ulterior motive, as the president has a golf course in LA. California Democrat Isaac Bryan said: “Everything he has ever done in terms of his civic service has been with a personal agenda in mind, one that is profitable, one that is self-interested and one that is not rooted in the actual needs of people and at times, not rooted in reality or science.”
Hole 17: Commander-in-Chief vs. The Boss
Rock star Bruce Springsteen opened his European tour this year by saying: “The America I love, the America I’ve written about, that has been a beacon of hope and liberty for 250 years, is currently in the hands of a corrupt, incompetent and treasonous administration.” Trump took it badly, and the two men traded barbs. Then, in late May, Trump put out social media posts in which he hit a golf ball. The video then shows a clip of Springsteen tripping at one of his shows and falling on the stage. A golf ball had been added to the second clip as if to suggest that Trump was responsible for hitting Springsteen and making him fall. Ba-dum-tish.
Hole 18: He’s been accused of not always playing by the rules
There have long been claims that while Trump plays a lot of golf, he doesn’t always stick to the letter of the law. Rick Reilly, a former Sports Illustrated columnist, wrote a book called “Commander in Cheat: How Golf Explains Trump.” “Trump doesn’t just cheat at golf,” Reilly wrote. “He throws it, boots it, and moves it. He lies about his lies. He fudges and foozles and fluffs. At Winged Foot [in New York state], where Trump is a member, the caddies got so used to seeing him kick his ball back onto the fairway they came up with a nickname for him: ‘Pele.’” The actor Samuel L. Jackson told United Airlines’ Rhapsody magazine about his love of golf. Asked if he was a better golfer than Trump, Jackson said: “Oh, I am, for sure. I don’t cheat.” However, John Nieporte, head professional at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, told The Times that Trump is very good. “The proof’s in the pudding,” Nieporte said, pointing at the president’s record in competitions. “I’ve seen him win club championships, sinking 60ft putts.” Trump claims to have won three club championships this year alone and, in 2024, was given the Trump International Golf Club Most Improved Player Award.