President Donald Trump made his 12th and 13th trips as President to one of his 17 worldwide golf properties on the weekend of March 25-26, going once each day to Trump National Golf Club in Northern Virginia.
On Saturday, Trump administration officials said the President was at the club for weekend meetings while the reporter pool was held at the club's tennis complex. Trump left after four-and-a-half hours at the club, basically long enough to play a round of golf. So, did he? Well, his attire sure suggests he did.
@BraddJaffy just saw this on IG: pic.twitter.com/96kIwnAFHS
— Alex Marshall (@a_r_marshall) March 25, 2017
Then on Sunday, Trump arrived at his golf club again, just after 11 a.m., for what was termed more weekend meetings. Trump then left about an hour after he arrived.
Trump left his Virginia golf club after just 55 minutes, now headed back to the White House. He held 3 meetings while there, WH tells pool.
— Bradd Jaffy (@BraddJaffy) March 26, 2017
This marks yet another weekend during which the Trump administration appears to have lied about knowing that President Trump was playing golf. Trump was said the prior weekend to be having weekend meetings at his Mar-a-Lago Club, which he did. However, he spent a number of hours at Trump International Golf Club in Palm Beach, more than enough time to play some golf.
Prior to that, Trump played golf with Rory McIlroy, who shared the details of the round with No Laying Up, when the administration said Trump was playing just a few holes. In reality, the Commander-in-Chief played a full 18-hole round.
Trump was critical of President Barack Obama for playing golf 333 times during his eight years in office, tweeting about Obama's golf habit often and saying he wouldn't spend the same time on the course were he to win the presidency. Now that he has, those statements appear inaccurate so far into his presidency, making Trump look like a hypocrite.
#TBT to March 2016, when presidents leaving the White House was a bad thing pic.twitter.com/rURy9cTn49
— Brandon Wall (@Walldo) March 18, 2017
That said, Obama was and Trump is certainly entitled to play golf, even on a weekly basis. The job of President is an extremely difficult one, uniquely known by only four living ex-Presidents and by 44 other people in history. The weight of the world is on your shoulders in the role, so taking four or five hours for golf isn't that big of a deal as an escape to maintain sanity.
There's no reason for the Trump administration to obfuscate about the President's activities. He's allowed to play.
