Golf Has A Long History In The White House — But For Trump, It's More Than A Pastime

For overmuch of nan past century, play has ne'er been that acold from nan White House. That surely remains existent these days, arsenic Donald Trump is an progressive golfer, playing regularly connected weekends astatine Mar-a-Lago. People are noticing. As Seth Meyers joked recently, "According to caller study by nan Washington Post, President Trump has spent one-third of his days successful agency astatine his play courses. And I deliberation we mightiness beryllium amended disconnected if we could someway get that up to three-thirds."

For Trump, play is not conscionable astir relaxation, it’s portion of his mindset. When questioned astir nan quality of accepting a $400 cardinal Qatari level arsenic a gift, Trump cited nan golfer Sam Snead successful response. According to Trump, Snead’s motto was, "When they springiness you a putt, you say, ‘Thank you very much.’ You prime up your ball, and you locomotion to nan adjacent hole." Trump besides likes to get business done connected nan play course. In a caller question and reply pinch nan Atlantic, Witkoff described really he learned from Senator Lindsey Graham really Trump uses his play days. According to Graham, "You person breakfast, and it goes arsenic agelong arsenic Trump wants it to go. Then you play golf, and past you person lunch." During these sessions, "you talk astir each these things." Witkoff absorbed Graham’s teachings and utilized his play and meals clip pinch Trump and Graham to research imaginable management roles, pinch Witkoff concluding, "I deliberation I’m nan guy, possibly Mideast envoy."

Trump’s mixing golf and activity differs from immoderate of his predecessors, who thought it was important to person separation betwixt their charismatic duties and their clip connected nan links. William Howard Taft loved nan game, but his predecessor Teddy Roosevelt warned Taft against being photographed successful his play duds, arsenic it mightiness origin Americans to deliberation he was not taking his activity seriously. As Roosevelt, who was himself partial to tennis, warned, "I ne'er fto friends advertise my tennis, and ne'er fto a photograph of maine successful tennis costume appear."

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Taft’s successor Woodrow Wilson played play 1,200 times arsenic president. He moreover played successful nan snow, utilizing red-painted balls for easy shot spotting. Unlike Trump, though, Wilson did not for illustration talking business while golfing, truthful he usually played pinch his individual physician, Cary Grayson, who had recommended that Wilson return up nan game. Although Wilson tried to debar activity connected nan links, sometimes pressing matters interceded. After nan 1916 election, Wilson learned connected nan play people that he had won California and would unafraid a 2nd word arsenic president.

STERLING, VIRGINIA, UNITED STATES - MAY 27 - Former U.S. President Donald J. Trump visits nan driving range, meets fans and watches Round 2 of LIV Golf Washington DC 2023 ((Photo by Kyle Mazza/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images))

In opposition to Roosevelt’s concerns, Wilson received praise for his regular playing. In July of 1917, Cleveland Moffett wrote successful McClure’s, "And really inspiring coming is nan illustration of Woodrow Wilson, who regards regular beingness workout arsenic a ineffable duty, not to beryllium interfered pinch nor neglected. Rain aliases shine, immoderate nan unit of events, nan President of nan United States takes his exercise."

The thin-skinned Warren Harding was little fortunate. He did not for illustration that comedian Will Rogers utilized to make nosy of Harding for a big of things, including golf. Once, erstwhile Harding learned that Rogers planned to mock Harding’s play crippled astatine a show Harding planned to attend, Harding refused to go.

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Dwight Eisenhower was besides subjected to galore jokes astir his golfing. One of nan champion ones was nan bumper sticker that read, "BEN HOGAN FOR PRESIDENT. IF WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A GOLFER, LET'S HAVE A GOOD ONE." Another joke that made nan rounds was that Eisenhower "invented nan 36-hole activity week." It was not acold off: Ike played astir 800 rounds arsenic president, which averaged retired to astir 2 18-hole rounds a week.

Ike was unperturbed by nan criticism. He had putting greens installed astatine some nan White House and astatine Camp David. He besides had a regular foursome known arsenic "The Gang," aliases "The Augusta Gang," including Coca-Cola Chairman Robert Woodruff, Frankfort Distilleries President Elles Slater, and W. Alton (Pete) Jones, president of Cities Service Company, now known arsenic CITGO. But Ike didn’t want to do business erstwhile he was golfing. In fact, he praised The Gang successful his memoir arsenic "men, who, already successful, made nary effort to profit by our association."

When Eisenhower’s Vice President Richard Nixon became president, he occasionally played pinch celebrities, including Jackie Gleason, Jimmy Stewart, Bob Hope, and Fred MacMurray. He moreover played pinch Snead, who accused Nixon of throwing a shot retired of nan unsmooth and onto nan fairway. Still, Nixon’s wide awkwardness inspired this joke astir National Security Adviser Henry Kissinger seeing nan president successful diversion apparel and asking really it went: "I changeable a 128 today," Nixon said. "Your play crippled is getting better," Kissinger replied, only to perceive back, "I was bowling, Henry."

"Watergate Secrets and Betrayals" will beryllium released connected August 8, nan 50-year day of President Nixon’s resignation.  (WatergateSecrets)

While funny, nan joke was unfair. Nixon was a coagulated golfer who erstwhile collapsed 80 while successful retirement. Still, Nixon looked down connected those who played excessively much. Once, erstwhile asked astir Vice President Spiro Agnew, Nixon was dismissive, saying, "By immoderate criteria he falls short. Energy? He doesn’t activity hard; he likes to play golf."

Like Nixon, Ronald Reagan enjoyed nan crippled and often played pinch celebrities, including Walter Annenberg and Warren Buffett. But Reagan mostly stopped playing play aft an October 1983 play that showed nan difficulties of playing play and being president. Reagan was connected a play sojourn to Augusta pinch Secretary of State George Shultz, New Jersey Senator Nicholas Brady, and Treasury Secretary Donald Regan. On Saturday morning, he had been awakened to perceive developments regarding nan caller communist coup successful Grenada. Reagan and his squad planned an penetration to liberate Grenada, but went up pinch their crippled truthful arsenic not to awesome that thing was afoot. At that game, National Security Adviser Bud McFarlane kept interrupting to springiness updates connected nan unfolding situation. To make matters worse, nan crippled was besides interrupted by an equipped man who collapsed done nan gates and took hostages astatine nan clubhouse, demanding to speak to nan president. Reagan called nan clubhouse via power telephone but yet did not speak to nan man, who was yet arrested.

That night, Reagan was awakened again, pinch worse news. Hezbollah terrorists bombed nan Marine office successful Beirut, sidesplitting 241 U.S. personnel. Reagan returned to Washington without playing his scheduled Sunday game. As a consequence of nan disastrous weekend, he decided to curtail his golf, saying, "Playing play is not worthy nan chance that personification could get killed."

FILE - This December 1986, record photograph shows first woman Nancy Reagan holding nan Reagans' pet Rex, a King Charles spaniel, arsenic she and President Reagan locomotion connected nan White House South lawn.  ( (AP Photo/Dennis Cook, File))

George H.W. Bush besides had to navigate nan mobility of really to negociate play and statesmanlike business. Bush had precocious standards for play and wanted to play pinch group who could support up some successful accomplishment and pinch what he called "speed golf," completing full rounds successful 2 hours. Bush’s biggest golfing situation arsenic president came aft Iraq’s penetration of Kuwait successful August of 1990. He quickly tired of nan media shouting Iraq-related questions astatine him while he played. When reporters peppered him pinch questions connected nan first tee astatine a crippled that August, he uncharacteristically snapped, saying, "I talk to them each greeting astatine 5:30 and I’m not going to return immoderate much comments up here, though." He later denied getting testy, saying, "I’ve ne'er been huffy astatine you. I conscionable don’t for illustration taking questions connected superior matters connected my vacation."

PRESIDENT TRUMP'S GOLF COURSES: WHERE THEY ARE, HOW YOU CAN PLAY

Unlike Bush, Bill Clinton saw nan play people arsenic a bully spot to behaviour business. While still successful Arkansas, he would effort to raise run costs from golfing companions. As president, he played regularly pinch Democratic fixer and firm committee staple Vernon Jordan. Jordan would induce salient business executives for illustration GE’s Jack Welch, Warren Buffett, and Microsoft’s Bill Gates – contempt nan truth that Clinton’s Justice Department was investigating Gates’ company. In nan crippled pinch Gates, Clinton took a mulligan astatine nan outset, thing for which he became good known.

Clinton’s successor, George W. Bush, had seen nan situation of managing play and nan presidency firsthand. He was playing pinch his begetter connected nan time that nan elder Bush said he would nary longer return superior questions connected nan play course. Bush supported his dada successful his typically humorous way, telling 1 chatty reporter, "Could you hold until we decorativeness hitting astatine least? My crippled is really bad. But erstwhile you’re talking successful nan backmost swing, it gets moreover worse."

President Bill Clinton, Vernon Jordan 2000 Presidents Cup - October Robert Trent Jones Golf Club successful Gainesville, Virginia, U.S. PGA TOUR Archive via Getty Images (Getty Images)

After W. became president, he sewage immoderate pushback from nan property for his play habit. In August of 2002, Bush was astir to tee disconnected successful an early greeting crippled erstwhile he was asked by a newsman astir a horrific violent autobus bombing successful Israel. Bush responded, "We must extremity nan terror. I telephone upon each nations to do everything they tin to extremity these violent killers. Thank you. Now, watch this drive." The video of this unfortunate clip was shown galore times connected tv and was featured successful Michael Moore’s anti-Bush documentary, Fahrenheit 9/11. According to statesmanlike play master Don Van Natta, "that will spell down successful statesmanlike play histories, possibly 1 of nan worst moments of each time."

Bush stopped playing play successful 2003, during nan 2nd Iraq war. In 2008, he revealed his reasons for doing truthful successful an question and reply pinch Mike Allen, past of POLITICO: "I don't want immoderate mom whose boy whitethorn person precocious died to spot nan commander-in-chief playing golf. I consciousness I beryllium it to nan families to beryllium as, you know, to beryllium successful solidarity arsenic champion arsenic I tin pinch them. And I think, you know, playing play during a warfare conscionable sends nan incorrect signal."

Barack Obama played play much than 300 times arsenic president, and he, for illustration Trump, liked to do business connected nan course. Like Clinton, he played pinch Vernon Jordan successful high-profile foursomes, which included Clinton, Tiger Woods, hoops prima Ray Allen, erstwhile Dallas Mayor Ron Kirk and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg. He besides played pinch immoderate apical CEOs, including erstwhile UBS CEO and Obama fundraiser Robert Wolf, Comcast CEO Brian Roberts, and Obama philanthropist and Silver Lake Co-CEO Glen Hutchins. He besides tried to enslaved pinch Republican Speaker of nan House John Boehner connected nan links. According to Boehner’s memoir, they kept their conversations to play while connected nan course, but engaged successful indebtedness ceiling discussions successful nan clubhouse, agreeing to proceed pinch behind-the-scenes negotiations.

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JERSEY CITY, NJ - SEPTEMBER 28:  Presidents Obama, G.W. Bush, and Bill Clinton grin while connected nan first tee during nan first information of nan Presidents Cup astatine Liberty National Golf Club connected September 28, 2017 successful Jersey City, New Jersey. (Photo by Shelley Lipton/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) (Shelley Lipton / Sportswire via Getty Images)

Playing pinch Boehner helped push guardant fund talks, but it besides raised immoderate hackles connected Obama’s broadside of nan aisle. Cultural professional Elayne Rapping said of nan erstwhile "cool" Obama, "Now he’s playing play pinch John Boehner, which is astir nan astir uncool point location is." Senate Democrats seemed irritated arsenic well. When 1 of them asked his Democratic colleagues if immoderate of them had ever played play pinch nan president, not 1 raised his hand. In different Obama crippled pinch a Republican lawmaker, Georgia Senator Saxby Chambliss scored a hole-in-one, prompting him to quip, "I told him since I made nan hole-in-one, he ought to springiness america everything we want connected entitlement reform."

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Obama and Trump some played a batch of golf, but Trump likes to talk astir nan crippled much than immoderate of his predecessors. In 1 gathering pinch CEOs, Trump goaded GE’s Jeffrey Immelt into telling nan communicative of a crippled successful which nan president deed a spread successful one. According to Immelt, Trump had said, "You realize, of people that I’m nan richest golfer successful nan world." Trump past corrected Immelt – slightly: "I really said I was nan champion golfer of each nan rich | people, to beryllium exact, and past I sewage a spread successful one."

In his first term, Trump had a play simulator installed successful nan White House that would let him to play nan world’s astir celebrated play courses virtually. When Joe Biden, a coagulated golfer successful his younger years, moved into nan White House successful 2021, he did not deliberation overmuch of Trump’s play group up, saying, "What a f***ing a**hole." Even though Biden did not play that overmuch while successful nan White House, he maintained that he could person beaten Trump connected nan links, and needled his rival for being little than honorable astir his play score, saying successful 2024, "And where's Trump been? Riding astir successful his play cart, filling retired his scorecard earlier he hits nan ball?" The rivalry was truthful heated that claims of who had nan superior crippled really came up successful their 1 and only statement successful June of 2024. Biden claimed that "I sewage my handicap, erstwhile I was vice president, down to six," but Trump was dubious, saying, "I’ve seen your swing. I cognize your swing."

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Golf moreover played a domiciled successful nan tight predetermination of 2020. Multiple reports suggested that Trump neglected his statement prep successful favour of much playing time. Trump was besides told by his son-in-law Jared Kushner that he had mislaid Pennsylvania while gearing up to tee disconnected astatine nan seventh spread successful a November, 2020 game. Even though this news doomed his reelection prospects, Trump chose to bask nan remainder of his game, finishing nan past 12 holes earlier heading home.

It's a safe stake to expect that Trump will support doing business connected nan links passim nan remainder of his term. Yet while nan wave of his playing is successful statement pinch a number of his predecessors, his obsession pinch play – and his bringing of nan crippled into nan measurement he approaches his presidency – surpasses them all.