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Political putts: Golf rivalry has Biden and Trump teeing off

by Amie Parnes and Judy Kurtz - 05/30/24 6:00 AM ET

President Biden and his rival former President Donald Trump are in the midst of a heated general election, taking shots at each other over issues including inflation, immigration and a rash of foreign policy conflicts.

But recently, another topic has been teed up in the race: golf.

Trump earlier this month used the upcoming debate with Biden to broach the subject of the links.

In an interview with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt, the former president said that before daring him to a debate, Biden challenged him to a round on the links.

“I wonder whether or not he shows up, because you know, he also challenged me to golf,” Trump told Hewitt. “So I’m a very good golfer. He can’t hit a ball 50 yards … but he knows he’ll never play.”

A few days earlier, while speaking to reporters during a break in his criminal trial this month, Trump invoked Biden’s golf game again, after accusing Biden of lying about inflation numbers:

“[Biden] lies about everything, including his golf game. Because he can’t hit a ball,” Trump said.

It isn’t just Trump who has been taking swings.

Earlier this spring, Biden invited Trump to face off on the golf course, when he appeared on stage at a fundraiser alongside former Presidents Obama and Clinton. During the event, Biden told late night host Stephen Colbert — who moderated the conversation at the fundraiser — that he would be “happy to play” Trump in a round of golf.

“I told him once before when he came into the Oval, I said, ‘I’ll give you three strokes if you carry your own bag,” Biden said to laughter from the fundraising crowd, recounting an encounter with Trump before the former president was sworn into office in 2017.

Biden, 81, also chose to rib Trump, 77, in March after the former president bragged about winning two awards from his own golf club.

“Congratulations Donald,” Biden scoffed in a message on the social platform X. “Quite the accomplishment.”

Golf has long been a presidential pastime, where commanders in chief have escaped the stress of the office by hitting the fairway on weekends and holidays.

Former President George W. Bush famously made a statement to reporters on violence in the Middle East before starting a round.

“We must stop the terror. I call upon all nations to do everything they can to stop these terrorist killers. Thank you. Now watch this drive,” said Bush, who was criticized by the left over the remarks.

Obama — who also often hit the links to escape the White House — was ridiculed by Republicans for golfing during national crises.

Sources tell The Hill that while Biden has spent some time on the golf course over the years and is a longtime member at Fieldstone Golf Club in Delaware, he hasn’t devoted much time to the sport since becoming president.

“I’ve been told he isn’t playing much anymore,” said one source in Biden world.

According to White House pool reports, the last time he picked up a club was with his brother Jimmy Biden last June.

Trump — who owns 17 golf courses and was mocked as president for playing 307 days during his presidency — has spent much of his downtime on the course, including an outing late last month when he spent one of the off days of his criminal trial on the course at his club in New Jersey.

Biden’s team was quick to highlight Trump’s golf outing: “He was golfing. Not campaigning. Golfing,” Biden campaign spokesperson Ammar Moussa said in a statement at the time.

Alexandra Kitty, author of the forthcoming book “The Sport of Presidents: The History of US Presidents and Golf,” said the sport speaks to each man’s style.

“Golf…It’s not just presidential. It’s personal,” Kitty said. “Your golf game as president says a lot about you, how you think, how you leverage this space.”

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While Kitty described Biden as a “very good golfer,” she said the president downplayed his tee times to “differentiate himself against Trump,” whose golf game is part of his brand.

Trump has also used his apparent golf prowess to undermine Biden’s fitness for office. Last week, a post on the former president’s official Instagram account showed Trump driving a ball that causes Biden to fall, highlighting a string of Biden stumbles on Air Force One and other moments.

A source in Biden world said, “Trump has nothing else to offer so he has to resort to literal cheap shots.”