During Obama's terms of office and the election campaign, Donald Trump frequently took aim at Obama's golf games, decrying them as scandalous in light of "the problems and difficulties facing the US," and promising that if elected, "I’m going to be working for you. I’m not going to have time to go play golf."
Trump has visited his golf courses 10 times since taking office, eight weeks ago.
White House press secretary Sean Spicer defended Trump's golfing, stating that when Trump golfs, it's in the company of world leaders, whom he is buttering up with some friendly sporting activity, judged to be a more productive way to conduct state business than meeting of leaders with their aides in the White House where actual agreements are forged and formalized.
Also, sometimes Trump takes out from golfing to talk to his cabinet by phone, and once in a while, he uses taxpayer funds to fly cabinet-members to his golf courses rather than meeting with them in DC where his job is. Spicer won't say more about what Trump does when he's at his golf resorts instead of at his desk, because the president is "entitled to a bit of privacy."
“He had a mini-Cabinet meeting down — or two weekends ago — down at his club in Virginia,” said Spicer. “I remember so many people jumping to the conclusion that he was going down and playing golf. Just because you go somewhere doesn’t necessarily mean you did it. So, on a couple occasions, he’s actually conducted meetings there. He’s actually had phone calls. So, just because he heads there doesn’t mean that that’s what’s happening.”
It is unclear exactly what Trump has done on all of his visits to golf courses, because his aides have been vague when asked if the president was playing the game. However, Trump has clearly played golf on some of these visits. On Saturday, Chris Ruddy, a Trump confidante and CEO of the conservative media company Newsmax, posted a picture of the president posing with admirers at his course wearing a golf glove. Last month, Trump played a full 18 holes with pro Rory McIlroy. And CNN has reportedly witnessed Trump “driving up the 12th hole on his championship course at Trump International Golf Course” and golfing “multiple times” since he took office.
White House defends President Trump’s golf habit and argues it’s different from Obama’s
[Hunter Walker/Yahoo News]
(via Mitch Wagner)
(Images: tyler hendy, Trump's Hair)
