Trump installs $50,000 golf simulator in White House, report says

The president is known for his frequent trips to play golf, even though he was highly critical of Barack Obama for hitting the links

Clark Mindock
New York
Thursday 14 February 2019 08:30 GMT
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Donald Trump has personally paid to install a room-sized “golf simulator” in the White House that cost around $50,000 (£39,000), according to a new report.

The system allows Mr Trump — who frequently attacked his predecessor Barack Obama for his golf schedule only to outpace him at the sport after becoming president himself — to play virtual rounds at courses all over the world, according to the report in The Washington Post.

The installation reportedly replaced an older and less sophisticated system that Mr Obama had in the residence. It was installed in the last few weeks.

The report follows on the heels of a report in Axios that analysed three months of leaked schedules for the president.

Those records showed that he spent roughly 60 per cent of his time in unstructured “executive time” in the months following the 2018 midterm elections.

The president has responded to that report several times, arguing that he works long hours in spite of the reports that he does not always have structured time.

Mr Trump, aides have told The Post, often spends that executive time tweeting, watching television, calling people up, or calling impromptu meetings.

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The president has spent more than 160 days on a golf course since becoming president in early 2017.

Many of those trips have been to courses he personally owns, including courses in New Jersey and Florida where he owns resorts and frequently travels as president.

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