Barack Obama golfed on 7 out of 8 Memorial Day weekends as president, yet Biden attacks Trump for teeing off
President Donald Trump was heavily criticized by his opponents on social media for golfing on the Memorial Day weekend. However, many seemed to gloss over the fact that former president Barack Obama, his predecessor, spent seven of the eight Memorial Day weekends of his presidency on a golf course.
Former vice president and presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden criticized his opponent, tweeting that the president was golfing on Saturday while thousands of lives were being lost due to the coronavirus pandemic.
"Nearly 100,000 lives have been lost, and tens of millions are out of work. Meanwhile, the president spent his day golfing," Biden wrote on Twitter, attaching a video of Trump golfing with the COVID-19 toll displayed alongside.
While media outlets echoed Biden's criticism, Obama himself spent time on the golf course while the country was at war or in the midst of a crisis.
According to TrumpGolfOutings.com, Obama golfed on Memorial Day weekend every year barring one.
Following are the Memorial Day weekend dates Obama golfed: Monday, May 25, 2009, Monday, May 30, 2011, Saturday, May 26, 2012, Saturday, May 25, 2013, Saturday, May 24, 2014, Saturday, May 23, 2015, Saturday, May 28, 2016.
According to the list, the only exception came in 2010, when Obama went to visit Chicago and drew the ire of conservatives for not laying a wreath at Arlington National Cemetery on Memorial Day to mark the occasion. Instead, he chose to lay a wreath at Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery near Chicago that year.
Trump responded to the criticism in a barrage of tweets Monday, noting how it was the first time in months that he had gone out golfing -- adding that his predecessor had notoriously golfed after speaking momentarily about ISIS beheading American journalist James Foley.
"Some stories about the fact that in order to get outside and perhaps, even a little exercise, I played golf over the weekend," the president began. "The fake and totally corrupt news makes it sound like a mortal sin - I knew this would happen!"
"What they don’t say is that it was my first golf in almost three months and, if I waited three years, they would do their usual 'hit' pieces anyway," he continued. "They are sick with hatred and dishonesty. They are truly deranged! They don’t mention Sleepy Joe’s poor work ethic, or all of the time Obama spent on the golf course, often flying to Hawaii in a big, fully loaded 747, to play."
"What did that do to the so-called Carbon Footprint? He also played moments after the brutal killing by ISIS of a wonderful young man," he added. "Totally inappropriate - and it was me who shattered 100% of the ISIS Caliphate. I was left a MESS!"
Trump's return to the golf course came as a number of states began opening public amenities for recreation. This was after Dr. Deborah Birx of his coronavirus task force advised the public to enjoy the outdoors while observing “social distancing.”
That said, prior to Saturday's outing, the president last hit the putt on March 8, 2020.