Trump, captured driving a golf cart, defends his frequent golf outings as 'exercise'

(Image credit: Screenshot/Twitter/Kelly O'Donnell)

published 13 July 2020

President Trump spent the weekend at his golf club in Virginia, golfing. The presidency is a stressful job, and it's probably healthy for presidents to get out in the sun, but on Sunday morning, Trump defended his frequent golf outings. While many politicians and business leaders "work out endlessly," he tweeted, "my 'exercise' is playing, almost never during the week, a quick round of golf. Obama played more and much longer rounds, no problem."

But Trump is objectively wrong about his predecessor, Barack Obama, playing more golf. Trump has visited his golf properties 277 times as president, by CNN's count, and 262 times according to the Trump Golf Count website; Obama played golf 306 times over his eight years in office and fewer than half as many rounds as Trump at this point in his presidency — and Trump frequently criticized him for it. On the other hand, Trump was right about news organizations trying to get pictures of him golfing, paparazzi-like — when you're star, you let them do it — and their cameras called into question his idea of "exercise."

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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.