Featured Image Credit: Getty
Topics: Donald Trump, Golf
John McDougall
A White House staff member once revealed what former American President Barack Obama was like on a golf course, amid claims that Donald Trump ‘cheats’ during matches.
Obama served as the 44th US President between 2009 and 2017, making history by becoming the first African-American to be in the White House’s top job.
He was succeeded in the Oval Office by President Trump who served his first term in the role.
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Trump was himself succeeded by Joe Biden in 2021, but was reelected President for a second term in office after defeating Kamala Harris in an election held towards the end of last year.
Trump’s second term in the Oval Office has been a controversial one so far, involving tens of thousands of federal workers being laid off to save money, pardoning some 1,500 people convicted of offences in an attack on the Capitol Building towards the end of his first time as President, plus his more recent announcement of reciprocal tariffs on foreign exports entering the US, which affects goods and services from the UK, EU and the rest of the world.
Among other things, President Trump made his name through buying and building golf courses, owning 17 around the world as of 2016.
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And he regularly plays golf with celebrities and sports stars, despite several of them having accused him of ‘cheating’ during matches.
These include Hollywood star Samuel L. Jackson who once accused the President of cheating before having to pay a huge bill.
But the same could not be said of former President Obama, according to a White House staffer.
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Back in 2013, Time magazine reported comments from Marvin Nicholson, who has served as the White House trip director and was a regular golfing partner for Obama, revealed the former President never cut corners on the golf course and retake shots if the original attempt does not go to plan.
He said: “I’ve never seen him get to the point where he just picks [the ball] up.
“I’ve seen him write a 10 down. I’ve seen him write an 11 down.”
However, the former President was also said to use ‘trash talk’ at times in a bid to get an advantage over his opponent, but this did not always work.
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Eugene Kang, a White House special projects coordinator, said: “He is very strategic about his use of it.
“It’s always fun to make the putt and give him a nice little look at the end.”