Who, on a level, who cares? Being a president is a stressful job. A chair who is absent for a few hours to sit at an office or attend meetings with advisors may actually be a good thing for someone under such pressure. Go out into the nature, do something physical – and, you know, all that.
And the presidents, long before Trump enjoyed spending time on the links: William Howard Taft – himself shut up in the glory of the tub – was one of the first presidents to publicly express his love of golf. (Fun Fact: Taft celebrated the completion of a bridge in Washington because it allowed him to get to his favorite golf course faster.)
But Trump's golf problem is that he has made criticism of the golfing habit of his predecessor a cottage industry.
then
this One in 2014: "Obama admitted that he spent his mornings watching @ESPN, then he plays golf, organizes fundraisers and grants amnesty to the illegal immigrants."
And
this in 2016: "President Obama should have gone to Louisiana a few days ago instead of playing golf too little, too late."
SBNation counted 27 (!) Times between 2011 and 2016 as Trump attacked Obama for playing golf while he should have been working – in the spirit of Trump -.
And during the 2016 campaign, Trump regularly referred to the Obama golf game as a sign of lack of commitment.
"I mean, he's been playing more golf than most people on the PGA Tour, this guy," Trump said of Obama during his last public appearance of the campaign. 2016 in New Hampshire. "What is it, more than 300 rounds? Hey, look, it's good. Golf, it's good. But still plays with country leaders and people who can help us! Do not play with your friends all the time. "
Trump has also repeatedly insisted that even though he loved golf – he said it was his main form of exercise! – He would not play if he was elected president.
"If I win, I may never see my property, and I may never see those places again," he said in August 2016. "But as I'm going to work for you, I do not want to see it. will not have time to leave. " golf, believe me. Believe me. Believe me, people. "
Believe it, guys. Believe it.
Here's the thing: according to CNN calculations, Trump spent 212 days on a Trump property, including 166 days at a golf club since being elected president. Since the White House almost never confirms that the President is playing golf on these five-hour outings, it is possible that this is not the case. (Whispers: he is.)
And according to the calculations of the Washington Post, Trump had played golf one day in five during which he was president since this summer. That's about twice as many times as Obama has played during his eight-year tenure, according to a CBS count.
So, what about Trump's assertion that while he was playing golf, would it be with world leaders and politicians as a way of doing business?
Asked earlier this year about Trump's biggest achievement for the American people on the golf course, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said:
"I think it would certainly develop deeper and better relations with members of Congress, which helped to advance the president's agenda, particularly in helping to get the reform passed. Many, I think, and the success of this is due to the close relationship that the President has, and he played golf with a number of senators and used that time, certainly, to achieve it. "
As far as I know, Trump definitely played golf with Sens. Lindsey Graham (S.C.), Bob Corker (Tennessee) and Rand Paul (Ky.). He played with Mick Mulvaney, Chief of the Office of Management and Budget. And the Japanese Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe. Well, that's about it when it comes to politicians and world leaders. (Note: The White House does not regularly release Trump's golfing partners, so it's hard to know who he's playing with, unless they're tweeting about it.)
We know some of the people with whom Trump played during past Thanksgiving. His first round on Wednesday was with legendary golfer Jack Nicklaus, one of his most prominent supporters. And Trump played his last round on Sunday with Chris Ruddy, a close friend and editor of the newsmax site NewsMax.
It does not really work out of the office.
