President Donald Trump recently celebrated what he calls his 43rd career club championship at his Bedminster, New Jersey, course. Announcing his win with a score of 70, Trump noted the difficulty of balancing practice with other responsibilities in a Truth Social post.
This announcement has brought renewed scrutiny to Trump’s golfing activities. Independent trackers estimate that his golf-related travel and security expenditures have reached nearly $115 million. This figure prompts comparisons to former President Barack Obama, whom Trump frequently criticized for golfing during his presidency. In response, Newsweek contacted the White House for comment via email.
Trump’s Golfing Costs
An independent tracker estimates Trump’s golf-related travel and security costs have hit approximately $115 million during his presidency. The website “Is Trump Golfing Today?” calculates this figure based on Trump’s public schedule, which includes flight data and White House reports. As of August 3, the tracker reports $114.97 million having been spent. This includes around $80.2 million tied to 59 days at Mar-a-Lago and West Palm Beach, $13.6 million for 34 days at Bedminster, New Jersey, $10 million for five days in Scotland, and $7 million for 47 days at his Washington-area golf course. Visits to Jupiter, Florida, account for lesser amounts.
The tracker relies on a 2019 Government Accountability Office report, which highlighted early first-term trips to Mar-a-Lago, each costing roughly $3.4 million due to Air Force One travel, Coast Guard patrols, and C-17 cargo flights for his motorcade. The methodology divides trip costs by an assumed trip length to assess daily expenses, noting the total could be 20 to 40 percent higher once including arrival, departure, and advance-team days.
HuffPost previously calculated Trump’s golf-related expenses at $101.2 million as of late March, when Trump had golfed on 110 days over 14 months. They estimated that such costs could reach $300 million by the end of a second term.
Frequency of Golfing
Watchdog groups have observed Trump’s frequent visits to his properties since returning to office. Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) noted that as of mid-June, Trump had visited his properties 259 times, with 148 of those to golf courses. He attended his properties 191 days out of the first 512 days in his presidency, equating to 37 percent. Mar-a-Lago emerged as his top destination, with over 102 trips.
Obama’s Golfing Habits
Trump’s golfing habits invite frequent comparisons to Obama’s. “Is Trump Golfing Today?” indicates Obama played 333 rounds across two terms, around 11.4 percent of his presidency’s 2,922 days. In contrast, Trump used 20.05 percent of his first-term days and 26.4 percent of his second-term days for golfing.
The cost differences arise mainly from the locations they played. Obama often golfed at Washington D.C.’s Joint Base Andrews, facilitating motorcade travel. Conversely, Trump ventured to his private clubs in Florida and New Jersey, necessitating longer travel and added security.
Estimates of Obama’s travel costs do not directly match Trump’s. The tracker gauges Obama’s travel costs at about $105 million over eight years, including international visits. Judicial Watch, referencing Secret Service travel records, calculated Obama’s personal travel at $105.7 million, while a 2016 McClatchy report listed an $85 million estimate from an earlier tally.
Trump on Obama’s Golfing
Trump criticized Obama’s golf habits extensively, tweeting about them at least 27 times between 2011 and 2016, per SB Nation. At a 2015 rally, Trump mentioned Obama’s 250 rounds of golf. He promised voters in 2016 that he would reduce golfing if elected, saying, “I’m going to be working for you. I’m not going to have time to play golf.” Yet by 2020, Trump had played more than Obama at similar points in their terms, asserting the opposite on Twitter and stating “Obama played more and much longer.”
Trump’s critiques were part of a media effort against Obama’s golfing. The sharpest criticisms followed Obama’s golf outing at Martha’s Vineyard on August 20, 2014, shortly after addressing ISIS’s execution of James Foley. On Fox News’ “The Five,” co-hosts criticized the outing’s timing, with Greg Gutfeld commenting on golfing habits and Eric Bolling suggesting the afternoon round be canceled or delayed.