The Loop

President Trump installed his own $50,000 golf simulator in the White House

February 13, 2019
The Trump International Golf Links Course Opens

Ian MacNicol

President Trump gets his share of golf in, making more than 150 trips to his courses since taking office in 2017. But those visits are mostly confined to the weekends, and the Washington, D.C. weather is not conducive to working on one's game in the winter.

So Trump did what any hacker with means would do: He installed his own simulator in the White House.

According to the Washington Post, Trump recently put in a $50,000 Trackman golf simulator in his personal quarters. A White House official told the Post Trump paid for the simulator out of his own pocket.

The Post's story coincides with an Axios story around Trump's “Executive Time,” which reportedly accounts for 60 percent of his scheduled hours. Axios said that Trump usually did not leave his residence for the Oval Office until about 11 a.m.

Now, before you go connecting the dots, a White House official said Trump has not used the simulator since it was installed. Which, hey, we get running the world is a time-consuming job, but you're going to install a freakin' simulator and not use it?

Following the report, Trump tweeted, “When the term Executive Time is used, I am generally working, not relaxing." Which is what every golfer has told their significant others after spending hours grinding away on the driving range. Virtual or otherwise.