President Trump spent one of every five days at a golf club in 2019: report

Over the course of his presidency, Trump has spent 252 days at one of his golf clubs

Published December 31, 2019 3:14PM (EST)

Donald Trump golfing (Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)
Donald Trump golfing (Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

President Donald Trump is closing out the year with a visit to his Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Fla.

Over the course of his presidency, Trump has spent 333 days at a Trump-owned or branded property and 252 days at one of his golf clubs, according to CNN's latest tally. Those figures suggest that the president has spent roughly three out of every 10 days at one of his properties and one of every five days at a Trump golf course.

This year alone, the president has spent at least 86 days at one of his golf clubs, including the Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Va., Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, N.J., and Trump National Doral in Miami.

Though his foreign trips often limit the free time he has to hit the golf course, he has made stops during overseas trips to visit one of his properties, which he has maintained ownership of as president, dismissing concerns over ethics and optics. Trump has visited his Waikiki hotel in Hawaii on the way to Asia in 2017 and spent two nights at his Turnberry golf resort in Scotland last summer.

As soon as he clinched the presidency, Trump joined a long list of presidents who loved playing golf, though he may be the only one who publicly — and frequently — criticized his predecessor, former President Barack Obama, for his own golf habits.

"Can you believe that, with all of the problems and difficulties facing the U.S., President Obama spent the day playing golf," Trump, then a private citizen, tweeted Oct. 13, 2014. "Worse than Carter."

Just a day later, he wrote: "We pay for Obama's travel so he can fundraise millions so Democrats can run on lies. Then we pay for his golf."

During a 2016 campaign stop in New Hampshire, Trump said of Obama: "I mean, he's played more golf than most people on the PGA Tour, this guy. What is it, over 300 rounds? Hey, look, it's good. Golf is fine. But always play with leaders of countries and people that can help us! Don't play with your friends all the time."

Obama played 333 rounds of golf during his eight years in office, according to CBS News White House correspondent Mark Knoller, who keeps detailed statistics of presidencies.

Though Trump railed against Obama repeatedly for his golf habits, his own trips to Trump properties have drawn scrutiny from critics who say he is profiting off the presidency by inviting foreign leaders and government officials to stay at his luxury resorts.

Interestingly enough, Trump was not always so critical of Obama's golf habit. In June 2012, he tweeted that he would someday like to play a round of golf with Obama.

That same year, he suggested that Obama should have expanded his circle of playing partners to include more Republicans: "That way maybe the terrible gridlock would end."


By Shira Tarlo

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