Trump’s Golfing Habits and Costs Compared to Obama

Over a weekend, President Donald Trump celebrated what he claimed was his 43rd career club championship, marking two wins at his Bedminster, New Jersey course. Trump stated on Truth Social that he achieved a score of 70, despite having limited time to practice due to other commitments.

This announcement brought renewed focus to the taxpayer costs associated with Trump’s golf-related travel and security, estimated by independent trackers at nearly $115 million. Comparisons with former President Barack Obama’s golfing activities also emerged, as Trump previously criticized Obama for playing golf while in office.

Trump’s Golfing Expenses

An independent source estimated Trump’s golf-related travel and security costs at nearly $115 million during his presidency. The tracking service, Is Trump Golfing Today?, uses flight data and White House pool reports to find the cost, totaling $114.97 million as of August 3.

These expenses include approximately $80.2 million linked to days spent at Mar-a-Lago and West Palm Beach, $13.6 million for days at Bedminster, New Jersey, $10 million for a Scotland trip, and $7 million for days at his Washington-area golf course. Various smaller amounts are tied to trips to other golf locations.

The estimates rely on a 2019 Government Accountability Office report analyzing Trump’s golf spending, noting early trips to Mar-a-Lago costing around $3.4 million each. The calculations use an estimated average trip length of 2.5 days to find a daily cost. The website notes the total may be 20 to 40 percent higher when including additional days related to travel.

HuffPost previously reported Trump’s golf-related expenses reached $101.2 million as of March that year, suggesting he could spend $300 million on golf by the end of his presidency. Watchdog groups also tracked Trump’s frequent property visits, with 259 visits recorded by mid-June, including 148 golf trips.

Comparing with Obama’s Golfing

Trump’s golf activities are often compared to Obama’s, whom Trump criticized for playing golf during his presidency. Is Trump Golfing Today? reports Obama played 333 rounds of golf over his two terms, about 11.4 percent of his time in office.

Trump’s golfing occurred more frequently, with visits to his courses on 20.05 percent of his first-term days and 26.4 percent of his second-term days. The difference in costs stems from travel requirements, as many of Obama’s rounds were nearby Joint Base Andrews, while Trump’s involved longer, more security-intensive trips to private courses.

Obama’s travel costs aren’t directly comparable. Trump’s golf-related expenses exceed estimates of Obama’s total presidential travel costs, which ranged from $85 million to $105.7 million.

Trump’s Remarks on Obama’s Golfing

Between 2011 and 2016, Trump tweeted 27 times on Obama’s golfing activities. He assured his supporters that he would break Obama’s golfing pattern if elected. Despite these promises, once in office, Trump spent more time on the golf course than Obama did in the same period.

In 2020, Trump claimed Obama golfed more and for longer periods. During Obama’s presidency, media criticism was sharp, focusing on the timing of Obama’s golf games rather than their frequency. Notably, backlash following Obama’s Martha’s Vineyard golf outing shortly after addressing a significant national tragedy was intense.