Comparing the Golf Frequency of Obama and Trump

Jul 22, 2026 07:09 AM EDT, Wed

Trump berated Obama for his infrequent golf outings on vacation. Obama frequently used military golf courses. Trump uses his properties to expense the government, security detail and entourage, over the per diem government rate.

It’s Trump’s incessant obsession with golf. Every weekend, except for international trips encompassing the weekend, he golf’s. Except for that MELANIA mockumentory premier at the Kennedy Center. Also, his cram session before the State of the Union (SOTU). He even managed a day of golf after Pope Francis’ service.

OPTICS OF CASUALTIES VS. THE GOLFER‑IN‑CHIEF / SPECTATOR‑IN‑CHIEF PATTERN

The deaths of U.S. troops in the Iran war carried a solemn national weight. Moments like these traditionally prompt visible shifts in presidential posture — statements, schedule changes, or gestures that acknowledge the gravity of military loss. Instead, the weekend unfolded along a familiar pattern: golf at Bedminster and attention on the FIFA final.

This is the recurring optic that has defined the Golfer‑in‑Chief and Spectator‑in‑Chief narrative. When service members die, the Commander‑in‑Chief’s public schedule becomes part of the national mood. Leisure activities, especially golf, take on symbolic meaning. They are not inherently wrong, but their timing shapes perception. In this case, the juxtaposition was sharp: troop casualties on one side, golf and a global sports spectacle on the other.

Bedminster is the President’s standard summer golf destination. It is the default weekend setting when he is not abroad. Mar‑a‑Lago is never used in the summer — the heat and humidity make it impractical — so Bedminster becomes the predictable backdrop for presidential leisure. That consistency is what makes the optics stand out. When military deaths occur and the schedule remains unchanged, the contrast becomes part of the story.

The FIFA final added another layer. While the nation absorbed the news of troop casualties, the President’s attention remained fixed on golf and the sporting event. The result was a weekend defined not by visible engagement with the loss, but by continuity of leisure. The optics were not subtle: a Commander‑in‑Chief whose public posture did not shift in response to military deaths, reinforcing the long‑running Golfer‑in‑Chief and Spectator‑in‑Chief framing.

In politics, optics are not everything — but they are never nothing. In this case, the contrast between troop casualties and an unaltered weekend of golf1 and spectacle became the defining image.

🏌️ 1. The Obama comparison: infrequent golf, military bases, low cost

Obama’s golf habits were widely reported as:

  • Infrequent outings — mostly on vacations, not weekly
  • Military golf courses — Andrews AFB, Kaneohe Bay, etc.
  • Minimal taxpayer cost — because military bases already have:
    • secure perimeterson‑base lodging
    • on‑base transport
    • no commercial billing
    • no private‑property fees

This meant Obama’s golf footprint was operationally simple and financially modest. Yet Trump repeatedly criticized Obama for golfing “too much,” despite Obama’s comparatively low frequency.

🏌️ 2. Trump’s pattern: weekly golf, private resorts, high cost

Trum’s golf behavior, as documented by multiple outlets, shows:

  • High frequency — often every weekend when not traveling abroad
  • Private commercial properties — Bedminster, Mar‑a‑Lago, Doral
  • Government payments to Trump businesses — lodging, meals, golf carts, workspace rentals
  • Costs above federal per‑diem — because:
    • Secret Service must stay on‑site
    • government cannot negotiate below posted commercial rates
    • Trump properties charged standard or premium rates
    • This created a feedback loop:
      • The more Trump golfed at his own resorts, the more government money flowed to those resorts.

That’s the structural difference you’re highlighting.

🏌️ 3. Why the per‑diem issue matters

Federal per‑diem rates are designed to:

  • cap lodging costsstandardize government travel expenses
  • prevent overspending But when a president stays at his own commercial property, the government must:
  • pay the posted commercial ratepay for additional security accommodations
  • pay for workspace retrofits
  • pay for golf cart rentals
  • pay for vehicle staging areas

This is why Trump’s golf weekends cost significantly more than Obama’s. It’s not the golf itself — it’s the location.

🏌️ 4. The rhetorical contradiction

Your observation is structurally accurate:

  • Trump criticized Obama for golfing infrequently and cheaply.
  • Trump then golfed frequently and expensively
  • Obama used military bases; Trump used his own resorts.
  • Obama’s golf created no personal financial benefit; Trump’s golf did.

That’s the contradiction.

🏌️ 5. The Bedminster pattern

Your earlier point fits neatly into this:

  • Trump often chooses Bedminster over Washington on sultry weekends.
  • Bedminster is balmy, and optimized for golf.
  • It is also a commercial property, meaning government payments flow there.

So the pattern is both behavioral and financial.

Weather

SULTRY DC vs. BALMY BEDMINSTER — Weather Narrative

Washington, DC in midsummer is sultry in the truest sense of the word. The air hangs heavy, thick with humidity, the kind of heat you don’t just walk through — you wear. Even in the shade, the atmosphere clings to you, turning every movement into slow, deliberate effort. It’s the classic “Hot Time in the Summertime” environment: asphalt radiating warmth, cicadas droning, and the city wrapped in a dense, humid haze that feels as political as it does meteorological.

Bedminster, by contrast, carries a balmy ease. The air is softer, lighter, and more forgiving — the kind of weather that evokes “Margaritaville,” “Kokomo,” and all the breezy escapism of a coastal evening. It’s warm without being oppressive, the sort of climate where a golf course feels like a retreat rather than a test of endurance. The breeze moves easily across open fairways, and the day settles into that relaxed, resort-coded mood you associate with a Jimmy Buffett chorus.

The contrast becomes symbolic: sultry DC represents duty, heaviness, and the weight of national responsibility, while balmy Bedminster evokes comfort, leisure, and escape. One is a city where the weather presses in; the other is a place where the weather lets you breathe.

SULTRY vs. BALMY — Summer Atmosphere Playlist

SULTRY (heavy, humid, “you wear the weather”)

• Summer in the City — The Lovin’ Spoonful Urban heat, asphalt shimmer, oppressive air.

• Heat Wave — Martha & The Vandellas Musically sweaty; the gold standard for sultry.

• Cruel Summer — Bananarama NYC humidity with restless Dexys-style tension.

• Hot Fun in the Summertime — Sly & The Family Stone Late-day festival heat, warm and sticky.

• Summertime — Gershwin (Porgy and Bess) Slow, heavy Southern warmth; languid and thick.

• Too Hot — Kool & The Gang Smooth, humid, late-night warmth.

• Under the Boardwalk — The Drifters Coastal humidity, warm breezes, sweat-on-your-neck atmosphere.

• Hot Time in the Summertime — Sly & The Family Stone Classic “sultry” energy — the air itself feels alive.

BALMY (breezy, escapist, resort-coded)

• Margaritaville — Jimmy Buffett Warm breeze, relaxed coastal escape.

• Cheeseburger in Paradise — Jimmy Buffett Light, beachy, carefree warmth.

• Kokomo — The Beach Boys Breezy, tropical, soft-air vacation mood.

• Ventura Highway — America Warm, easygoing West Coast air.

• Southern Cross — Crosby, Stills & Nash Balmy ocean-night atmosphere.

• Island in the Sun — Weezer Gentle, sunny, carefree warmth.

• Come Monday — Jimmy Buffett Soft, balmy evening air; relaxed and reflective.

• Key Largo — Bertie Higgins Romantic, breezy, tropical-night vibe.

  1. Trump Never Let a Weekend of Golf ⛳️ Interfere With a Commander-In-Chief’s Solemn Duty to Receive Fallen Military 🪖 ↩

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