In May this year, US President Donald Trump made what was surely one of his more unusual claims: that physical activity and exercise depletes a person’s energy and shortens their life span.
According to purchase orders obtained by USA Today, the Secret Service has spent approximately $144,975 (£107,614) on golf cart rentals since January this year, with almost $7,500 (£5,600) set aside for Trump’s Thanksgiving weekend alone.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Trump spent five days on the golf course during his Thanksgiving weekend, and claimed he was playing golf “quickly” with Tiger Woods.
During his presidency so far, Trump has spent 81 days at golf properties around the US, according to an NBC tracker. This is despite the President repeatedly berating his predecessor, Barack Obama, for golfing instead of working.
And the stats don’t look good for the incumbent; Trump is currently in the 12th month of his presidency and has golfed 35 separate times. By the 12th month of Obama’s reign, the former president had golfed 24 times, reports Politifact.
The news of such lavish expenditure on golf carts created a stir on Twitter, where users expressed amusement, anger and confusion at the use of government funds:
-
The week’s best photosIn Pictures A new year dawns, a volcano yawns, and more
-
Wave of cancellations prompt Kennedy Center turmoilIN THE SPOTLIGHT Accusations and allegations fly as artists begin backing off their regularly scheduled appearances
-
8 incredible destinations to visit in 2026The Week Recommends Now is the time to explore Botswana, Mongolia and Sardinia
-
Wave of cancellations prompt Kennedy Center turmoil
IN THE SPOTLIGHT Accusations and allegations fly as artists begin backing off their regularly scheduled appearances
-
Trump considers giving Ukraine a security guaranteeTalking Points Zelenskyy says it is a requirement for peace. Will Putin go along?
-
Why is Trump’s alleged strike on Venezuela shrouded in so much secrecy?TODAY'S BIG QUESTION Trump’s comments have raised more questions than answers about what his administration is doing in the Southern Hemisphere
-
Vance’s ‘next move will reveal whether the conservative movement can move past Trump’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
What have Trump’s Mar-a-Lago summits achieved?Today’s big question Zelenskyy and Netanyahu meet the president in his Palm Beach ‘Winter White House’
-
Biggest political break-ups and make-ups of 2025The Explainer From Trump and Musk to the UK and the EU, Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without a round-up of the year’s relationship drama
-
Donald Trump’s squeeze on VenezuelaIn Depth The US president is relying on a ‘drip-drip pressure campaign’ to oust Maduro, tightening measures on oil, drugs and migration
-
Trump appears numerous times in new Epstein batchSpeed Read
