Like every other Christmas-goer, President Trump had the holiday off to celebrate with his loved ones. “I hope everyone is having a great Christmas,” he tweeted on Dec. 25, “then tomorrow it’s back to work in order to Make America Great Again (which is happening faster than anyone anticipated)!”
I hope everyone is having a great Christmas, then tomorrow it’s back to work in order to Make America Great Again (which is happening faster than anyone anticipated)!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 25, 2017
Tuesday night, CNN released footage of Trump at his golf club in West Palm Beach, just a day after he tweeted that he’d return to work post-Christmas.
Trump on the golf course today, captured by CNN cameras https://t.co/hctg9sO23e
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) December 26, 2017
And he was spotted there again Wednesday morning.
Pool reports Trump is spending another day at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach.
— Steven Portnoy (@stevenportnoy) December 27, 2017
Though the White House wouldn’t confirm if his Wednesday visit would be spent actually golfing, this marked the 86th day he’s gone to a golf club since his presidency began on Jan. 20, 2017. It also marks the 112th day he’s spent away from the white house at a Trump property, according to NBC.
Back in 2015, Trump told reporters that if he was elected into office, he “would rarely leave the White House because there’s so much work to be done.”
Trump has repeatedly criticized Obama for taking time off and playing golf in the past. According to a report by CBS News, the former president played 29 rounds of golf in his first year and took “all or part of 26 days” for vacation.
Can you believe that,with all of the problems and difficulties facing the U.S., President Obama spent the day playing golf.Worse than Carter
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 14, 2014
Trump today made his 6th trip to the golf course in 30 days as president.
Here are his previous tweets about presidents and golf: pic.twitter.com/66361Bgk3b
— Bradd Jaffy (@BraddJaffy) February 19, 2017
And back in August 2016 during his campaign, Trump told a Virginia crowd: “Because I’m going to be working for you, I’m not going to have time to play golf. Believe me.”
Golf = business?
Everyone needs a break — even the president. Bill Clinton told Golf Digest in the December 2012 issue that the game is a “perfect way” to escape. “Presidents need to rest their minds, not just their bodies,” Clinton said. “They need the exercise, the fresh air. And they need to do something that, literally, takes them away from what they’re doing.”
Trump, though, told Fox News in April that when he’s at a golf club, he’s not necessarily “having fun,” but in fact working.
White House spokesperson Sean Spicer said at a press conference in March that Trump uses golf as a busines tactic to foster relationships with those he’s working with, CNBC reports. A month prior, Spicer noted, the president played golf with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe “to help foster deeper relationship… in Asia… and have a growing relationship that is going to help U.S. interests.”
He added that just because the president visits a golf course, doesn’t mean he’s playing golf, stating that Trump has gone to his club in Sterling, Virginia and “conducted meetings there.”
Why are conservatives mad about the CNN tape?
Twitter blew up Tuesday night after CNN released footage of Trump playing golf.
Supporters weren’t happy, claiming that it’s not newsworthy and that CNN’s tactics were “creepy.”
This is a partisan tabloid network.
There are some (@brianstelter @acosta) who will tell you it is a news network. ?
But it will always be a partisan tabloid network ? https://t.co/Zurn3Dxfrb
— Heimish Conservative (@HeimishCon) December 27, 2017
CNN reporters are hiding in bushes to film Trump playing golf.
And there you were thinking a news network couldn’t behave like a dumped bunny boiler who proceeds to stalk her ex-boyfriend like a total creep.
Wrong. https://t.co/vPONKBO8gf
— Paul Joseph Watson (@PrisonPlanet) December 27, 2017
CNN SHOULD BE PROSECUTED FOR THIS! UNREAL! | CREEP NEWS NETWORK: CNN Hides In Bushes To Film POTUS Trump Play Golf (VIDEO) https://t.co/7kX7wEombz
— Michael Corley (@mikecorley) December 27, 2017
On the other end of the spectrum, some people took to Twitter to defend CNN and call out Trump for claiming he wouldn’t be golfing during his presidency.
To those that tweeted at me trying to say @cnn shouldn’t report on Trump playing golf….this is why they’re doing it. He’s taken more vacation days than any other recent President. https://t.co/MMWuaxWagh
— Steven Weintraub (@colliderfrosty) December 27, 2017
Trump last night: “tomorrow it’s back to work in order to Make America Great Again…!”
Trump today: No public events, and pool reporter says his “motorcade pulled into Trump International Golf Club at around 9:05am.” pic.twitter.com/tOsnlrkTnS
— Tom Namako (@TomNamako) December 26, 2017
“I’m going to be working for you, I’m not going to have time to go play golf,” – @realDonaldTrump. https://t.co/gxGAivJs0A #RememberWhen
— Joyce Beatty (@RepBeatty) December 27, 2017
Back to work = let others carry water for you while golfing. pic.twitter.com/eQB1dCJ9ls
— Timothy Beauchamp (@cowboyneok) December 27, 2017