How many times has Donald Trump played golf since becoming president? POTUS tees off after signing Covid-19 bill
Before President Donald Trump signed the massive $2.3 trillion dollar coronavirus relief and government funding bill into law Sunday night, December 27, there was an extended phase of "will he, won't he" during as a possible government shutdown hung in the balance. Journalists from every mainstream outlet tracked Trump's every little movement, including his golf breaks.
White House correspondent for USA Today, Courtney Subramaniam, reported at 7:40 pm that "the motorcade w/@realDonaldTrump arrived at Trump International Golf Club at 7:40 pm amid a downpour. The ride was uneventful other than navigating torrential rain. No news yet what @POTUS plans to do or if signing the bill tonight." The footage of the same was posted by the Hill. However, it was later confirmed by the White House that "POTUS signed the bill before leaving Mar-a-Lago for his golf club tonight."
EARLIER: President Trump's motorcade arrives at Trump International Golf Club. pic.twitter.com/6pacz3vgNw
— The Hill (@thehill) December 28, 2020
Trump also released a statement on signing the Covid-19 relief bill, saying, “I will sign the Omnibus and Covid package with a strong message that makes clear to Congress that wasteful items need to be removed. I will send back to Congress a redlined version, item by item accompanied by the formal rescission request to Congress insisting that those funds be removed from the bill.”
Full statement from the president after signing #COVIDReliefPackage. Interesting at the end in which he mentions promises from Congress pic.twitter.com/BzWWbsQ3tZ
— Courtney Subramanian (@cmsub) December 28, 2020
Trump had flown from the White House on Wednesday, December 23, to arrive at his 'Winter White House' Palm Beach resort Mar-a-Lago in Florida. He paid a visit to Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach on Christmas Day, which according to The Golf News Net, marked the 302nd time the 45th President has visited one of his 17 golf clubs since taking office in 2017.
We previously reported that the president came to the luxurious property, often dubbed his "Winter White House" for the 31st golf vacation during his presidency, which raised taxpayer-funded travel and security total to $151.5 million. During his vacations to Mar-a-Lago, Trump tends to play golf every day at his club that is 15 minutes away. At times he also has meals at his club. Mostly he prefers playing in the mornings while the Secret Service follows Trump around in golf carts -- a privilege that has cost taxpayers nearly $765,000. The Secret Service has so far spent over $950,000 to stay overnight at Trump-owned properties, including his New Jersey country club.
The record found that the Republican leader’s total costs come around $3.4 million for a single trip to Mar-a-Lago, which also includes flying his staff and the vehicles required for his motorcade on Air Force One and a number of cargo planes, as well as the tariffs caused by the Coast Guard to guard both the Intracoastal Waterway and the Atlantic Ocean adjacent to his resort.
In 2017, Trump had 91 golf course visits, while in the following year, he played golf 76 times. In his third year at the White House, the number again went up to 91. So far, he has only played two rounds of golf outside of his clubs, playing with the Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Japan and Japanese star pro Hideki Matsuyama, in November 2017 and then playing with Abe again in May 2019. Compared to Trump, his predecessor Barack Obama played an estimated 333 rounds of golf when he was the president.