Ava Romero
While appearing on *The Late Show with Stephen Colbert*, former US President Barack Obama joked about predecessor Donald Trump's long-rumoured relaxed approach to golf rules and etiquette. Obama complimented Trump on his golfing abilities but implied that he was unable to keep track of his score or cheated. Trump, who owns several golf courses in the US, has been accused of cheating by sportswriters and professional golfers. Despite Trump's criticism of Obama's golfing habits during his presidency, data shows that Trump has spent far more time at golf clubs than Obama had at the same point in his term.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date of comment | 1st December 2020 |
| Who made the comment | Barack Obama |
| Where was the comment made | The Late Show with Stephen Colbert |
| Who was the comment about | Donald Trump |
| What was the comment about | Trump's golfing ability and scoring |
| Obama's comment | "I understand that shockingly enough, there are sometimes problems with the scoring and whether he's keeping track of his strokes." |
| Obama's comment on Trump's golfing ability | "From what I understand, he's actually a pretty good golfer." |
| Number of times Trump has played golf as President | At least 300 rounds |
| Number of times Obama played golf as President | 98 rounds |
| Trump's cheating tactics | Using a "turbo-charged golf cart" to get ahead, moving balls around |
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What You'll Learn
Obama jokes Trump can't count his golf score
Barack Obama has joked that former President Donald Trump is unable to count his golf score or cheats. During an appearance on *The Late Show with Stephen Colbert*, Obama was asked if he had ever played golf with Trump, as he had with other former presidents. Obama responded:
> Listen, from what I understand, he's actually a pretty good golfer. I understand that shockingly enough, there are sometimes problems with the scoring and whether he's keeping track of his strokes.
Obama's comments come after Trump frequently attacked him for golfing while in office. In 2011, Trump tweeted, "nice work ethic," in response to news that Obama golfed ahead of a family vacation. Trump also criticised Obama during the 2014 Ebola outbreak, tweeting: “President Obama has a major meeting on the N.Y.C. Ebola outbreak, with people flying in from all over the country, but decided to play golf!"
Ironically, Trump has played golf at least 140 times since becoming president, according to Trump Golf Count, including almost 30 times during the coronavirus pandemic. Obama's jokes about Trump's golf score highlight the hypocrisy of Trump's criticism, given his own frequent golf outings during his presidency.
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Trump's golf trips criticised for carbon footprint
While former US President Donald Trump has been known to frequently criticise his predecessor, Barack Obama, for his golfing habits, Trump himself has been criticised for his own golf trips, which have resulted in a substantial carbon footprint.
Trump has been known to fly to his waterfront mansion in Florida, where he owns several golf courses, racking up millions of dollars in costs for security and travel. In 2019, a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report calculated that federal agencies spent an average of $13.6 million on each of four trips to Mar-a-Lago that were audited during his first term. These trips have also resulted in additional costs for the county, with resources being allocated to ensure the President's safety.
Trump's frequent use of private planes and visits to his luxury golf courses have been cited as contributing significantly to his carbon footprint, which is said to dwarf that of most Americans. This is in addition to his policies that have negatively impacted the environment, such as his withdrawal from the Paris Accord and the issuance of the "Affordable Clean Energy rule," which fell short of climate change experts' recommendations for reducing carbon emissions.
Trump's critics have pointed out the irony of his criticism of Obama's golfing trips, as Obama's golf outings were mostly local and did not require plane travel. Trump's trips to his golf courses have resulted in a significant financial and environmental burden, with the presidential jet, Air Force One, incurring high operational costs per hour.
While the exact number of golf trips taken by Trump is unknown, some sources estimate that he has played golf almost 30 times since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. These trips have not only been costly but have also raised concerns about the President's work ethic and priorities, especially during times of national crisis.
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Obama teed off after ISIS murder announcement
While Barack Obama has been criticized by Donald Trump for golfing during his presidency, the former president has never been accused of cheating at the sport. In fact, Obama has criticized Trump for his "relaxed approach to golf rules and etiquette", implying that the latter cheated by not keeping track of his score.
Trump, on the other hand, has been accused of cheating at golf by sportswriter Rick Reilly, who claims that the former president has ""never won a championship at a course he doesn't own and operate". According to Reilly, Trump uses tactics such as a "turbo-charged golf cart" to move ahead of his competition and alter the positions of his balls. Professional golfers Tiger Woods and Dustin Johnson have also admitted to letting Trump cheat against them.
Despite these accusations, there is no evidence that Obama shares Trump's penchant for cheating on the golf course. In fact, the only criticism levied against Obama regarding golf is that he played too much of it during his presidency. This criticism came primarily from Trump, who frequently attacked Obama for golfing while in office, despite spending far more time at golf clubs himself.
One specific incident involved Obama teeing off after announcing the murder of journalist James Foley by ISIS in 2014. While on vacation in Martha's Vineyard, Obama was criticized for golfing minutes after condemning Foley's death. This incident was brought up by Trump during a 2016 campaign rally, where he denounced Obama's work ethic and golfing habits.
While Obama's decision to golf after such a somber announcement may have been ill-advised, it does not indicate that he cheated at the sport. The criticism levied against Obama in this instance was more about the timing of his golfing rather than any form of cheating or rule-breaking.
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Trump accused of cheating by sportswriter
While appearing on *The Late Show with Stephen Colbert*, former US President Barack Obama joked about Donald Trump's long-rumoured relaxed approach to golf rules and etiquette. Obama commented:
> I understand that he's actually a pretty good golfer. I understand that shockingly enough, there are sometimes problems with the scoring and whether he's keeping track of his strokes.
Obama was referring to the book *Commander in Cheat* by sportswriter Rick Reilly, which explores Trump's relationship with golf and his willingness to win at any cost. In the book, Reilly describes an incident where Trump missed the club championship at his Trump International course in Florida. When he returned, he lined up to play with Ted Virtue and his son, and proceeded to take the son's ball and claim it as his own, cheating to win the championship.
LPGA golfer Suzann Pettersen has also called out Trump's cheating, saying:
> They say that if you cheat at golf, you cheat at business. [...] He always says he is the world's best putter. But in all the times I've played him, he's never come close to breaking 80. But what's strange is that every time I talk to him, he says he just golfed a 69, or that he set a new course record or won a club championship someplace.
Trump has denied cheating at golf, saying, "I don't cheat at golf. I don't cheat at anything actually. They're dishonest people."
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Obama played golf once every 8.77 days as president
While there are no sources that directly confirm or deny whether Barack Obama cheated at golf, there are several that mention his frequency of playing golf as president. According to data provided to CNN by Mark Knoller, a CBS News White House correspondent, Obama played 98 rounds of golf during his presidency. This equates to playing golf once every 8.77 days as president.
Obama's successor, Donald Trump, has been a vocal critic of Obama's golfing habits, claiming in 2016 that Obama's struggles to pass legislation were due to excessive golfing. Trump tweeted in 2015 that "He [Obama] may play more golf than any human being in America, and I'm not sure that's good for the President." However, despite Trump's criticism, he has spent far more time at golf clubs than Obama did at the same point in his term. Trump's trips have almost exclusively been to golf courses that his company owns, generating hundreds of thousands in revenue from charges to the Secret Service.
During an appearance on *The Late Show with Stephen Colbert*, Obama implied that Trump cheated at golf, stating that there were "problems with the scoring and whether he's keeping track of his strokes." Obama's comments were made in response to a question about whether he would play golf with Trump, to which he replied, "I do not."
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Frequently asked questions
No, there is no evidence to suggest that Obama cheated at golf. However, during an appearance on the *Late Show with Stephen Colbert*, Obama implied that former President Donald Trump cheated at golf.
Obama said, "I understand that shockingly enough, there are sometimes problems with the scoring and whether he's keeping track of his strokes."
Yes, Obama played golf during his presidency. According to data provided to CNN by Mark Knoller, Obama played 98 rounds of golf during his presidency, which equates to once every 8.77 days.
Yes, Trump played golf during his presidency. Trump has played golf at least 140 times since becoming president, according to Trump Golf Count. CNN's count has Trump at 266 days spending some time at a Trump golf course.
