Maybe the President Should Keep Playing Golf.
Comparing what Donald Trump can be doing to what he chooses to do, we’re better off with him on the links.
In 2019, long-time sportswriter Rick Reilly alleged in his book that U.S. President Donald Trump is a massively obnoxious golfer. Kicked balls, fake handicaps, and tossing opponents’ balls into sandtraps? Seems like the man shouldn’t be playing the gentleman’s game. As it happens, many people agree, as various mainstream and social media have made note of the president on the golf course as millions are sacrificing during COVID-19 social distancing.
The golfing aspect is not a new point of criticism regarding Trump: there is a website called “Trump Golf Count” devoted to highlighting the financial cost of the president’s hobby. CNN was quick to point to a Trump-Obama presidential golf comparison (Trump had criticized Obama of too much golfing just recently). It is by no means surprising that the amount of taxpayer money spent on Trump’s golf habit — that would be $134 mil as of today, thanks, Trump Golf Count — would irk many people, and all the more during times of crisis. My question, however, is this: Do you really want him back?
Let’s recap what the U.S. President has done just recently, just in the last week, in matters related to public statements about the pandemic:
Trump wants to move the RNC from Charlotte. At a time where having any convention is a scary proposition, Trump is so upset about North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper’s state restrictions for social distancing that he is reportedly looking into alternate venues for the August 24th Republican National Convention. Some numbers for you: the estimated number of visitors to 2016’s Cleveland RNC convention amounts to about half the current number of American deaths related to COVID-19.
Trump no longer is taking hydroxychloroquine. The wonder drug so impactful in one clinical study that the president sought to promote it as a must-have, must-prescribe drug, despite the cautions of his coronavirus task force, namely NIAID Director Anthony Fauci. Did such cautions — not to mention this cautionary tale, and this one — make the president rethink his stance? No, he started taking it. Then this news about increased risk came out, but that’s not why he says he stopped. He just finished an apparent two-week course, boasting, “And by the way, I’m still here.”
Trump keeps breathing life into the Wuhan lab conspiracy claim. In one of his typical McCarthyian moves, Trump claimed not only was there evidence the virus came from China’s Wuhan Institute of Virology, but he also has a “high degree of confidence” in said evidence. To date, the American government has produced no details on this evidence, just as officials in China have disputed such accusations. The true source is unknown, though it has long been hypothesized the virus first appeared in one of Wuhan’s wet markets.
Trump has made not wearing a mask a badge of honor. Here’s an illustrative activity: Take any current world leader, and search for images of them wearing masks. Jair Bolsonaro? Check. Shinzo Abe? Check. Boris Johnson? Ehhh, I’ll get back to you, but many other leaders can be found. Donald Trump? Well, he did! Sort of. Despite being encouraged to wear a mask, and being told to wear a mask, and being given his own adorable POTUS mask, we have a president who appears as sullen about wearing a mask as reporters being ‘politically correct’ around him.
This, of course, is the shortlist. A week in Trump time is a week filled with deriding reporters, making political jabs and long, late rants on Twitter. Going out golfing appears the best visible action Donald Trump could have done for the American public this week. If you’re not convinced the president shouldn’t get out more, here are some other considerations.
Golf is good for your health! While it’s no daily jog or cycle, some medical experts believe golfing is great for your physical and mental well-being, and who doesn’t want a mentally and physically fit POTUS? It’s also supposedly good for social interaction, though speaking of which...
Golf promotes physical distancing! If we want the president to be healthy, and everyone in the White House to be healthy, and the president cannot be bothered to wear a mask, then being far, far away on the golf course just might be the healthiest option for everyone in the federal government.
Golf promotes reporter distancing! Maybe we should give him credit that he tried, after years of not trying, to talk to the press. Unfortunately, he cannot disseminate fake news while insulting and asking for thanks enough, so now appears a good time to delegate. The benefit of the coronavirus task force press conferences is we have exposure to the professionals we expect to collaborate and present results. Really, why need he be there at all? Because he’s the man in charge? Well, here’s the thing…
Golf really does capture the essence of Donald Trump. Golf is engaging, relaxing, fun, but those aren’t the main appeals. Not for this one. Golf is an opportunity to hobnob, impress, compete, cheat, and win. For Donald Trump, much like a presidential election. It’s an activity with bragging rights you can enjoy so long as people can stand to play with you. Or pay to play with you.
Yet golf is the best thing Donald Trump can do as President of the United States precisely because it’s the most we can expect. He cannot articulate an action plan without significant help. He cannot really prepare for a press conference and find it in him to stay on message. He cannot seek ways to put people at ease and mend divides. None of that is winning, and 2020 has made it quite clear that golf and winning an election are the only interests on Donald Trump’s mind.
