As President Trump continues his second term amid economic turmoil, global unrest, and legal clouds hanging over his inner circle, one thing remains constant: his devotion to golf—and his unorthodox way of playing it.
Now, the longtime head pro at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach has publicly admitted what many suspected: the president cheats at golf. And his defense? The president is just “too busy” to play by the rules.
In a revealing interview with The Times of London, club professional John Nieporte confirmed that President Trump routinely gives himself “gimme putts”—essentially pretending the ball went in the hole to save time. “He’ll give a putt here and there,” Nieporte said. “But it’s not cheating. He just doesn’t have hours and hours to spend out there. His schedule is tight.”
Critics might point out that Trump has somehow managed to carve out enough time to golf nearly 40 times since returning to office in January, according to a public tracker. And while Americans grappled with rising costs and tense international standoffs, Trump was seen teeing off at his resorts in Florida, New Jersey, and Virginia—sometimes on the very weekends crises peaked.
In April, for example, as Wall Street reeled from backlash to his aggressive tariff hike, Trump was photographed grinning on the green in Bedminster. Just days ago, while right-wing infighting exploded online over renewed Epstein case revelations, Trump was golfing again.
According to The Palm Beach Post, Trump has also declared himself the winner of several tournaments at his clubs—despite not completing full rounds or, in some cases, even being seen playing at all.
Still, Nieporte remains a loyal defender. He insists Trump doesn’t lean on mulligans (free do-overs) as much as critics claim. “He plays to win,” Nieporte said. “I’ve seen him sink 60-foot putts. I’ve seen him muscle a four-iron 210 yards to within 10 feet of the pin.”
For context, that’s nearly as far as PGA champion Scottie Scheffler hits the same club—raising eyebrows among those familiar with Trump’s history of exaggerating his athletic prowess.
Incredibly, Trump’s personal physician, Dr. Sean Barbabella, even cited the president’s “frequent golf victories” as proof of his “excellent physical and cognitive health” during an April press release—sparking immediate backlash from public health experts and golf professionals alike.
Trump, now 79, has played with Nieporte for over 25 years. Their regular foursome often includes Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and pro golfer RJ Nakashian. Despite the president’s responsibilities, Nieporte says Trump always makes time for the game—even if he’s taking phone calls between shots.
The White House has declined to comment on the latest allegations of score-padding. But for many critics, the idea that Trump can’t spare an extra five seconds to putt speaks volumes about his approach—not just to golf, but to the presidency.
As one user on X (formerly Twitter) put it: “If you cheat when no one’s watching, what do you do when everyone is?”
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What's Up Today Editorial Team
Being a good president should be fun… even as evil NextGen tries to make mountains out of molehills…
At least he still gets the job done and is not hiding in the basrment!
He earned the nickname Pele from his golfing buddies. Of course, Trump is the one who couldn’t believe Obama golfed once a month. Trump said if he were President, he would not have time to play golf.
trump cheats at ALL things. always has. golf, wives, using bad materials in his bldgs, taking bribes, you name it.
“Critics might point out that Trump has somehow managed to carve out enough time to golf nearly 40 times since returning to office in January, according to a public tracker.”
Is that like going to the beach to sleep, as a previous White House resident did too many times to count? At least golf requires some semblance of being awake, which wasn’t occurring very often on that beach in Delaware.