Rick Santorum defends President Trump's frequent presidential golfing

Rick Santorum on President Trump&#039;s golf habit — (Image credit: CNN/YouTube)

In his first four weeks in office, President Trump has visited two of his golf courses near his Mar-a-Lago private club in Florida a combined six times, or an average of 1.5 golf outings per weekend. Trump has not been very open about his golfing, with aides appearing to downplay the president's time on the links and keeping mum on whom he golfed with — though social media often fills in the blanks.

On Sunday, White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters that after "a couple" of holes on Saturday, Trump "played a couple of holes this morning, but I am not going to disclose any of the others that were there." Then Clear Sports tweeted a photo of Trump standing on the golf course Sunday next to its CEO, former Yankee star Paul O'Neill, and top-ranked pro golfer Rory McIlroy. After McIlroy told the golfing site No Laying Up that he and Trump played a full 18 holes, Sanders clarified that Trump had "intended to play a few holes and decided to play longer."

At CNN, Dan Merica speculates that the Trump White House is being secretive about the president's golfing because Trump frequently criticized former President Barack Obama's time on the golf course, typically at Andrews Air Force Base, just outside Washington, D.C. (Obama's first round of golf as president, Merica noted, was April 26, 2009.) Erin Burnett played several clips of Trump bashing Obama's golfing on Monday night's OutFront, then asked former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.) about Trump's "golf habit": "Senator, is he realizing that it's a lot different when you actually have the job?"

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"I don't think anyone's going to be critical of Donald Trump that he hasn't been engaged as president over the last month," Santorum replied, noting the frenetic activity at Trump's White House. Trump's critique of Obama was that he "wasn't engaged and involved as the president," he explained. "I don't think anyone's going to make that claim of Trump. And you're right — is it a cheap shot to hit the president on playing golf? It was, and I think he's realizing that getting out of the White House and swinging that golf ball is probably a good thing for his head." Watch below. Peter Weber

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.