Amidst a number of problems and scandals surrounding the current administration, President Trump opted to leave the nation’s capital and head to the golf course…again.
Instead of the usual trip to his country club in Palm Beach, Florida, the president decided to switch things up and visit the Trump National Golf Club in Virginia today.
Trump has traveled to his Mar-a-Lago estate almost every week since his January inauguration. There is no report as to why he stayed close to home this weekend instead of golfing at the “Winter White House.”
Before taking office, Trump tweeted often about former President Barack Obama playing golf instead of spending more time inside the beltway running the country.
Can you believe that,with all of the problems and difficulties facing the U.S., President Obama spent the day playing golf.Worse than Carter
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 14, 2014
But since taking office, Trump has become a veritable golfing machine. Numerous outlets have been tracking how much time the president spends taking golf vacations, and have estimated it to be as much as 25% to 30% of his total time since taking office.
It is also worth noting that the weekly images and stories of the president golfing with the elite has lead to the increased financial success of his growing empire of golf courses and country clubs.
Eric Trump, one of the president’s sons, says the family business has now spent more than $1 billion purchasing golf courses over the last decade, and that revenues continue to increase. The spike in business is being driven by the surging stock market, which generates more disposable income for financiers who can spend $200,000 to join one of Trump’s country clubs, as well as the free marketing that the brand now gets for being owned by the “golfer in chief.”
Thank you to @GolfDigest for this incredible feature! "Golfer-in-Chief" @RealDonaldTrump https://t.co/vpdY4jNbI4 pic.twitter.com/Q5fzH4fpmH
— Eric Trump (@EricTrump) January 17, 2017
“You might call it corruption-tinged synergy,” said Robert Weissman, president of Public Citizen, a liberal nonprofit group. “It is yet another effort by the family business to cash in on the presidency.”
