President Donald Trump has so far visited his golf courses more frequently in his second term than he did during his first presidency.
According to ethics watchdog Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), in the first six months in office, Trump made 62 visits to his golf courses. This, CREW said, was a 37 percent increase from last term when he made 42 visits to his golf courses. These visits included events and general visits in which Trump did not necessarily play golf.
Meanwhile, a website called didtrumpgolftoday.com, which uses data from Trump’s publicly published schedule, claims the President golfed 43 days out of the 184 days he has been in office. This is 23.4 percent of the days he has been in office.
Newsweek contacted the White House by email to comment on this story outside of normal business hours.
Former President Donald Trump plays during the pro-am round of the Bedminster Invitational LIV Golf tournament in Bedminster, NJ., on July 28, 2022.
Former President Donald Trump plays during the pro-am round of the Bedminster Invitational LIV Golf tournament in Bedminster, NJ., on July 28, 2022.
AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File
Trump’s golfing habits have long drawn scrutiny from critics who raise concerns about the president balancing his presidential duties with his leisurely pursuits. He attracted criticism when he was pictured playing golf at the Trump National Doral in Miami, Florida, a week after being sworn in for his second term, and was slammed for golfing during the coronavirus pandemic in his first term.
Frequent trips also rack up travel, staffing and security costs for the U.S. taxpayer. A 2019 U.S. Government Accountability Office report estimated that every golf trip costs taxpayers $1.4 million.
However, in his first term, Trump defended his use of his golf courses. He said he golfed for exercise and mainly on the weekends.
Notable golfing trips CREW raised in the first six months of his second term included one on March 29, when Trump played golf with Alexander Stubb, the president of Finland, at Trump International Golf Club in Palm Beach County in Florida.
Meanwhile, CREW also found that Trump has hosted 19 visits from foreign government officials from 10 countries this term. Political groups and foreign governments have also held 49 events at Trump properties.
“Donald Trump’s many visits to his golf courses and other properties have made it clear that the way to get access to Trump is by patronizing his properties,” Meghan Faulkner, CREW’s communications director, told Newsweek. “He has met with foreign leaders and members of Congress and signed executive orders at his properties, establishing them as profit-making centers of power that pose incredible corruption risks.”
Soon, Trump will have another golf course to visit. His company, Trump International Scotland, is opening a new course in Aberdeenshire in August. The Trump Organization said it would be “an exceptional golfing experience.”
Meanwhile, the Trump Organization is developing a luxury golf resort in Qatar.