Donald Trump is rapidly approaching the first 100 days of his presidency. Since taking the oath of the Oval Office back in January, Trump has managed to spend a considerable amount of time going on private getaways and frequenting his golf courses. Even though he criticized former President Barack Obama for doing the same thing over an eight year period, Trump has spent more time golfing and vacationing during the honeymoon period than Barack Obama, George W. Bush, and Bill Clinton combined. And he was at it again last weekend, playing golf on both Saturday and Sunday, totaling 17 visits in 82 days as the Commander in Chief.
At a campaign rally in Virginia during his 2016 campaign bid, Trump had this to say: “I’m going to be working for you. I’m not going to have time to play golf.” When interviewed by The Hill back in 2015, Trump also said, “I would rarely leave the White House because there’s so much work to be done.” Contrary to what the president has said, Trump can be found at one of his golf courses on most weekends. Although administration officials have seldom confirmed whether the president has actually played golf or not, a number of photos have surfaced on social media that show Trump out on the back nine with his golf cart and bodyguards at his disposal.
White House officials are telling the press that the president is out on the fairway attempting to build relationships with foreign dignitaries and lawmakers, yet they rarely disclose who these people actually are.
Clearly breaking away from a traditional role as president during his first 100 days, previous presidents in the recent past have spent their weekends at a private residence or they’ve ventured off to Camp David, located in the outskirts of Thurmont, MD., which is about a half-hour plane ride from DC on Marine One. However, Trump has managed to spend six out of his 12 presidential weekends at Mar-a-Lago, a private resort owned by the president himself and is located in Palm beach, Fla. For all of these weekend trips to Florida, Trump and his entourage fly in from DC on Air Force One, a trip that is by far more costly to taxpayers than a trip to Camp David. It’s also important to point out that Trump has yet to visit Camp David since taking office.
White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer has attempted to downplay the criticism of Trump’s penchant for a luxurious lifestyle and doing whatever he wants, whenever he wants. Spicer brought up George W. Bush’s visits to his ranch in Crawford, Texas as an example, and he also said, “The president, wherever he goes, he carries the apparatus of the White House.” Spicer failed to mention which White House he was referring to, the one in Washington DC or Trump’s self proclaimed “Winter White House” in Palm beach.