When The Going Gets Tough, The Weak Go Golfing ⛳️

Apr 5, 2025 12:00 AM EDT, Sat

Amid turmoil, Trump heads to Florida for a golf event (again)

After setting much of the global economy — and retirement accounts — on fire, taking a golf trip isn’t a great look for Trump.

April 4, 2025, 10:42 AM EDT By Steve Benen

It’s easy to imagine Donald Trump feeling a sense of urgency and scheduling a busy day of difficult work. Major indices around the world have responded to the president’s trade tariffs with steep drop-offs. The likelihood of a recession. Key businesses have announced layoffs. Consumer prices are poised to climb.

Key U.S. allies are turning against us, and U.S. rivals are imposing retaliatory measures. Even some of the White House’s most sycophantic partisan allies are struggling to defend the White House’s agenda.

In case this weren’t quite enough, four U.S. servicemen who died during a training exercise in Lithuania poised to return home at a dignified transfer at a dignified transfer at Dover Air Force Base, Delaware.

The president, however, hasn’t scheduled a busy day of work at the White House, and he won’t be on hand for the service members’ return. As The Washington Post reported, “A day after seeking to remake the global economic order, President Donald Trump on Thursday is returning to another priority: remaking professional golf.”

Trump will dine with leaders of the LIV Golf tour at his Doral club outside Miami, his latest visit to Florida and a sporting event in a 73-day-old presidency that has already been full of both. The trip combines the president’s prized relationship with the Saudi Arabian leaders who own the tour; his regular visits to Florida, where he has spent most weekends of this presidency at his Mar-a-Lago resort; and his frequent mixing of personal business with his presidential office.

I think we’re all familiar with the old adage, “When the going gets tough, the tough weak1 get going to Florida for a Saudi-backed golf event.”

Or something like that.

For a president who tends to be preoccupied with camera-ready appearances and the optics of politics, some part of him must realize that it doesn’t look great to take a golf trip after setting much of the global economy — and your retirement account — on fire, but Trump’s doing it anyway.

Making matters slightly worse, all of this comes on the heels of Trump’s recent declaration that federal employees who work remotely necessarily abuse the system. “I happen to be a believer that you have to go to work. I don’t think you can work from home,” the president said in February. “Nobody’s going to work from home. … They’re going to play golf.”

Well, someone’s going to be playing golf instead of working, but I don’t think it’s the federal workforce.

Let’s also not forget that as a candidate in 2016, the Republican seemed eager to give voters the impression that he’s a workaholic. At an event in New Hampshire, for example, while complaining about Barack Obama’s golf outings, Trump declared that if he were in office, “I’d want to stay in the White House and work my ass off.” Soon after, he assured voters, “I’m going to be working for you. I’m not going to have time to go play golf.”

After taking office, Trump proceeded to golf rather obsessively throughout his first term. His second term is offering more of the same.

When he spoke to NBC News’ Kristen Welker this past weekend and the topic of a third term came up, the “Meet the Press” host reminded him of just how much work a president has to do.

“Well, I like working,” Trump replied.

Sure you do, big guy. Sure you do.

Steve Benen is a producer for “The Rachel Maddow Show,” the editor of MaddowBlog and an MSNBC political contributor. He’s also the bestselling author of “Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans’ War on the Recent Past.”

Where Trump Can Be Found On Weekends
Mar-a-Lago
The Mar-a-Lago Club
1100 South Ocean Boulevard,
Palm Beach, Florida 33480
+1 (561) 832-2600
Florida, West Palm Beach
Trump International Golf Club
3505 Summit Blvd
West Palm Beach FL 33406
+1 (561) 682-0700
Florida, Miami
Trump National Doral Golf Club
4400 N.W. 87th Ave
Miami, FL 33178
+1 (305) 592-2000
Florida, Jupiter
Trump National Jupiter Golf Club
115 Eagle Tree Terrace
Jupiter FL 33477
+1 (561) 691-8700
Virginia, Potomac Falls
Trump National Golf Club Washington, D.C.
20391 Lowes Island Blvd
Potomac Falls, VA 20165
+1 (703) 444-4801
New Jersey, Bedminster
Trump National Golf Club Bedminster
900 Lamington Road
Bedminster, NJ 07921
+1 (908) 470-4400
New Jersey, Colts Neck
Trump National Golf Club Colts Neck
One Trump National Blvd
Colts Neck, NJ 07722
+1 (561) 973-1550
New Jersey, Pine Hill
Trump National Golf Club Philadelphia
500 West Branch Ave.
Pine Hill, NJ 08021
+1 (856) 435-3100
New York, Hopewell Junction
Trump National Golf Club Hudson Valley
178 Stormville Rd
Hopewell Junction, NY 12533
+1 (845) 223-1600
New York, Briarcliff Manor
Trump National Golf Club Westchester
100 Shadow Tree Lane
Briarcliff Manor, NY 10510
+1 (914) 944-0900
California, Los Angeles
Trump National Golf Club Los Angeles
One Trump National Drive
Rancho Palos Verdes, CA 90275
+1 (310) 265-5000
North Carolina, Mooresville
Trump National Golf Club Charlotte
120 Trump Square
Mooresville, NC 28117
+1 (704) 799-7300
Dubai
Trump International Golf Club Dubai
DAMAC Hills
Al Hebiah Third District Dubai
+971 (0) 4 245 3939
Ireland, Clare
Trump International Golf Links & Hotel Ireland, Doonbeg
DOONBEG CO.
CLARE, IRELAND
Phone: +353 65 905 5600
Scotland, Aberdeenshire
Trump MacLeod House & Lodge Scotland
Menie Estate Balmedie
Aberdeenshire, Scotland AB23 8YE
PHONE: +44 1358 743300
RESERVE: +44 1358 743300
Scotland, Ayrshire
Trump Turnberry
Maidens Road KA26 9LT Turnberry
Ayrshire Scotland
+44.1655.331.000
+44 01655 334115

  1. @RalphHightower: I struck through tough and used “weak” instead. ↩

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