Trump’s Thanksgiving Call Takes a Bizarre Turn with a Rambling Golf Rant
When asked a simple question about his golf skills during a Thanksgiving call with U.S. troops, 79-year-old former President Donald Trump turned what could have been a lighthearted exchange into a full-on monologue about his athletic prowess—and it quickly went off the rails.
During Thursday’s livestreamed conversation with service members stationed around the globe, Trump was asked what his real golf handicap is and whether he’d ever face off against President Joe Biden in a friendly match. Trump claimed he had invited Biden to play, but that Biden never showed up. However, he neatly sidestepped the question about his actual handicap—except to hint it was much better than his rival’s. What followed was an extended boast about his numerous club championship victories, which he emphasized were all, in his words, “legitimate.”
For context, data from a website that tracks his golf activity, DidTrumpGolfToday.com, suggests that Trump has spent nearly one-quarter of his days back in office on the golf course. That’s a pretty striking number, especially given that these outings often coincide with moments of political tension. For instance, he hit the links last summer while his administration faced backlash for withholding the Jeffrey Epstein files, and again during the prolonged government shutdown that frustrated both allies and opponents.
The exchange about golf came moments after Trump bluntly confirmed the death of a National Guard member shot near the White House—a jarring segue that only made his golf tangent more eyebrow-raising for viewers. He then launched into self-praise, declaring, “I know a lot about golf. I’ve won 38 club championships, and I don’t get to practice much. I won one last year.” He even told a story about defeating a much younger competitor, adding, “The fairway doesn’t know how old you are as you walk up the middle and he’s in the rough.” Still, he refused to reveal a specific number, describing his handicap only as “very low.”
But here’s where it gets controversial: Trump’s golfing reputation has long been dogged by accusations of cheating. Sportswriter Rick Reilly’s bestselling book Commander in Cheat and reporting by The Times of London accuse him of everything from kicking his ball back into play to instructing caddies to sabotage opponents’ shots. Others claim he frequently declares himself the winner in tournaments at his own clubs, sometimes even when he didn’t play all the rounds—or at all. The Palm Beach Post detailed several such questionable ‘victories,’ which Trump continues to defend as genuine.
During the Thanksgiving call, Trump doubled down on that defense before pivoting to an attack on Biden’s athletic claims. “A lot of people talk, but they can’t play, like Biden,” he said. “Biden can’t hit a ball 30 yards. He said he was a 6-handicap—that’s the only thing that made me angry during the debate. I said, ‘You’re not a 6.’ Then he said, ‘I’m an 8.’ I said, ‘That was quick—you just added two.’ But, honestly, he’s not even a 100.”
This feud dates back to their 2024 debate, when Biden countered Trump’s boasts by saying his own handicap had dropped from an 8 to a 6 back when he was vice president under Barack Obama. Golf experts, however, say both men might be exaggerating. Professionals who analyzed Trump’s swing told The Daily Beast that although his technique is quite good for a man nearing 80, it doesn’t match the level of a true tournament champion.
And this is the part most people miss: whether or not Trump actually cheats, the spectacle around his golf game has become symbolic of how he blends personal image, bravado, and politics into one show. Some see it as confidence; others, as pure ego. But here’s the real question—does it matter if his wins are real, or just part of the myth he’s built? What do you think: is Trump the golfing great he claims to be, or is this just another round of political performance art?
