Donald Trump wraps up another Mar-a-Lago weekend with even more golf

Here's another thing that Trump once criticized Obama for doing, but now does himself

By Matthew Rozsa

Staff Writer

Published April 10, 2017 7:25PM (EDT)

 (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
(AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

President Donald Trump may have spent his weekend at Mar-a-Lago discussing delicate trade policy with Chinese President Xi Jinping and launching a controversial missile attack against Syria. That didn't stop him from playing golf, though, despite his harsh criticisms of President Barack Obama for spending too much time on the links.

At the end of his weekend at Mar-a-Lago, Trump joined seven of his friends to play golf at the Trump International Golf Course, according to a report by the Palm Beach Daily News, "ditching the press corps and sneaking away from Mar-a-Lago early in the day for a light breakfast and round of golf with friends at his Trump International Golf Course. No prime ministers, no presidents, no distinguished foreign visitors. Just a guy from Queens with seven pals hitting a few."

As a reminder, here's what Trump had to say about President Barack Obama's golf habits:

One guest at the club room noted that at least one of the golf bags contained high-powered rifles, presumably put there by the Secret Service for the president's protection.

Back at Mar-a-Lago, guests also noted that there was a significant change in atmosphere during the course of the weekend. On Thursday, security was unusually stringent (the club has been criticized for its comparatively lax security procedures) due to the Chinese government wanting adequate protection for its president during his meeting. Trump was seen walking between the situation room and the presidents' room due to the Syrian missile attack.

But the next day, things were back to normal, and Trump was seen walking around and chatting with guests who paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to be there.

Trump's regular use of Mar-a-Lago as a Winter White House may wind up costing him in the future. Because Trump's use of Mar-a-Lago has caused Palm Beach County to spend more than $60,000 per day when he visits (more than $2 million since January), County Commissioner Dave Kerner has proposed turning Mar-a-Lago into a special taxing district and imposing a levy to cover the president's security costs.
Trump plans to visit the club again next weekend.

By Matthew Rozsa

Matthew Rozsa is a staff writer at Salon. He received a Master's Degree in History from Rutgers-Newark in 2012 and was awarded a science journalism fellowship from the Metcalf Institute in 2022.

MORE FROM Matthew Rozsa


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Donald Trump Golf Mar-a-lago Syria Trump International Golf Course Xi Jinping