Donald Trump spent the weekend doing one of his favorite pastimes: golfing.
The president enjoys his days on the green and collecting victories that come with a trophy or gold medal attached.
But with his latest tournament win, the controversy came before the celebration, and there was no turning back.
Trump paid a visit to Trump National Golf Club Bedminster in New Jersey on Aug. 2, where the congratulations were drowned out by a familiar wave of skepticism.
He announced that he had captured the Senior Club Championship. He said he shot a final-round 70, two under par, to secure what he described as his 43rd club championship.
Trump’s latest golf trophy didn’t silence his critics. Instead, it reignited years-old accusations that he plays by his own rules and regularly claims victories that others question.
He embraced the moment by posting a Truth Social video of himself accepting the trophy, before basking in his victory.
“Thank you very much to all of those who participated,” Trump wrote. “I won with a score of 70, and am so honored in that, unlike the rest of the field, I’m given very little time to practice, because I’m focused on many other things.”
He closed with a bold declaration that left little room for humility, writing, “It’s called TALENT, and I have it, and they don’t!”
NOW: President Trump is seen on his Bedminster, NJ golf course, making the winning shot in the Club Championship
Glad 47 is taking it a little easy today! He deserves it.
“I won with a score of 70, and am so honored in that, unlike the rest of the field, I’m given very… pic.twitter.com/BOAovXO4YK
— Q17 (@QUnitedPatriots) August 3, 2026
Digital media brand NUCLR Golf also highlighted the achievement, seemingly feeding into Trump’s ego.
Their X post read, “Firing a score of 70, U.S. President Donald Trump has won another Club Championship. The Sr division title at Bedminster this weekend reportedly marks Trump’s 43rd Club Championship victory across his golf properties. Thoughts on the W?”
Bedminster is the same course where Trump claimed the Men’s Senior Club Championship in 2025, renewing skepticism over a club owner winning his own tournament, according to the Spun.
Golf and critics of the president shared the video of Trump accepting not one but two oversized trophies that appeared to be made from glass. It only opened the door to expose just how far he’ll go to win.
“For the love of god! You gotta be kidding me with this bulls—t!! Who actually believes this?” one person wrote. Others didn’t mince words.
“He cheats. He was the only one in the tournament,” one critic claimed, while another added, “Another cheat for the win!”
Some questioned the competition itself. “Was he playing against first graders?” one user asked about his opponents. Another wrote, “He always wins cause it’s not a real competition.”
Skeptic went on pulling other videos to show evidence of Trump’s history as a cheater.
A July 2025 video from the Trump Turnberry course in Scotland appeared to show a caddie giving Trump an easier shot by dropping a ball in the rough near a bunker.
Trump caught cheating at golf. Watch the guy in the red vest toss a ball behind him.pic.twitter.com/DxIQrUW7MC
— Molly Ploofkins (@Mollyploofkins) July 27, 2025
Days later in August, another video showed a caddie dropping a ball onto the putting green during a club championship.
Another caddy caught dropping a golf ball for Trump. This time it was at Bedminster.
This footage is from Saturday, the day the White House announced Trump won the “2025 Men’s Senior Club Championship.” pic.twitter.com/m7fvkegER1
— PatriotTakes
(@patriottakes) August 3, 2025
Therefore, many don’t believe that Trump was as good a golfer as he claimed.
Some criticized the timing instead. One person scoffed, “Show me an 80-year-old that can shoot 70, especially … with cankles and I’ll believe it.”
All of this money for club championship trophies.
pic.twitter.com/SmqG2NQHX0
— ⚘Carina (@Carina_Amyth) August 2, 2026
A graphic cited HuffPost’s S.V. Dáte, who estimates Trump’s golf outings have cost taxpayers about $52.8 million. Critics also questioned Trump’s golf scores, a controversy Rick Reilly highlighted in his 2019 book, “Commander in Cheat: How Golf Explains Trump”
The book drew on interviews with professional golfers, caddies and playing partners who accused Trump of routinely bending the rules.
The allegations include kicking balls into better positions, claiming putts that never dropped, taking mulligans without penalty and even declaring himself the winner when others disputed the outcome.
Trump has repeatedly described his handicap as “right around scratch or better.” Several golfers interviewed by Reilly, however, estimated his ability was closer to a 10- or 12-handicap.
Those doubts resurfaced this year after a cellphone video appeared to show Trump badly shanking a tee shot. The person filming the humiliating moment yelled, “Oh, He shanked it! Oh my God, I got that on video. Oh f—king idiot!”
Whether the latest championship was legitimate or not, the win reignited a familiar question that has followed him for years: Did he really earn it?
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