President Donald Trump closed his Palm Beach, Florida golf course to membeers on Friday so he could host a tournament for members of the United States Coast Guard.
Sixty servicemen, many of whom are local to the area, are expected to participate in the four-man scramble.
A scramble tournament is a low-pressure game where each player on a team hits a tee shot and then everyone makes his next swing from the spot where the ‘best ball’ lies.
Calling his Trump International ‘one of the great courses of the world,’ the president said he was ‘honored to have you at the course.’
He praised the Coast Guard for its rapid response following this year’s Houston hurricane.
‘The job they did in Texas, saved 16,000 people. It’s unheard of,’ he told a group of onlookers and media. ‘So I just want to thank you.’
President Trump shared his golf course with 60 Coast Guard members today, praising them for their hurricane response this year in Texas
The guardsmen played a four-man scramble tournament at Trump International, a playing format that allows teams to take swings from the position of the ‘best ball’ from the previous shot
President Donald Trump is holding a tournament-style golf game for the Coast Guard today at his Palm Beach course; pictured is a Coast Guard boat patrolling the waters off Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort club
Trump joked with the guardsmen about his own game, saying he had just scored well on the 17th hole.
‘Did you see it?’ he asked. ‘A shot! And a birdie!’
And then pointing to the assembled press, he chuckled: ‘They’ll say I took a triple bogey.’
‘These brave men and women patrol the waterways near Palm Beach and Mar-a-Lago everyday. The President wanted to thank these service members personally for their service to this nation,’ Hogan Gidley, a deputy White House press secretary, said.
Trump has spent many of days at the golf club he owns in West Palm Beach playing with pros.
He golfed yesterday with his son Eric and PGA star Jim Herman. Tuesday he had an outing with several golf champs and a GOP senator.
The president is assumed to have played Wednesday, as well, although the White House has been reticent to say when he’s been on the course – even when it was captured on video.
Trump shook hands with a Coast Guard commander and asked the servicemen if he was a tough boss to work for
This morning the president made what has become a routine hop across town during his holiday to Trump International Golf Club after a late start so he could take in Fox and Friends.
Several hours after he arrived at the club the White House revealed Trump’s plans to host Station Lake Worth Inlet and other Coast Guard members at the course for an afternoon session.
Trump had left his private resort nearly six hours before to buzz across town to a golf club he owns. Four hours later he was captured by CNN’s cameras standing near a golf cart on the property’s golf course.
His schedule Thursday was unknown, as it has been for much of the time he’s been on holiday. The White House continued to refuse comment on how Trump spent the better part of the last two days and whether he hit the links, even as blurry footage of him on the course aired on CNN this afternoon.
President Trump’s attire on Wednesday, a white polo paired with a white USA hat (left). He had the same outfit on Thursday (right)
Trump left his private resort, Mar-a-Lago, just before 8:30 am and buzzed across town to a golf club he owns. Four hours later he was captured by CNN’s cameras standing near a golf cart on the property’s golf course
The White House continued to refuse comment on how Trump spent the better part of the last two days and whether he hit the links, even as blurry footage of him on the course aired on CNN
ON THE MOVE: President Trump’s motorcade of black SUVs deliver him to Trump International Golf Club on Thursday morning
On Trump’s way back from the golf club, a group of his supporters were waiting for him
They held signs that said, ‘HILLARY FOR PRISON,’ and ‘SECURE OUR BORDER’
Trump is known to have golfed on three other occasions since he arrived in Palm Beach last Friday, on Saturday, Sunday and Tuesday.
His attire on Wednesday, the same white polo paired with a white USA hat he had on today, and the amount of time he was at the golf property suggested he played another round yesterday.
The Thursday visit to Trump International Golf Club was the president’s third since a Christmas evening pledge to get ‘back to work’ the following day.
A White House spokesman traveling with the president in Palm Beach has not responded to inquiries from DailyMail.com about the president’s activities and the names of his recent golf partners.
Tuesday the White House said that Trump played with Sen. David Perdue alongside current and former pro golfers. Saturday the president also played with golf champs.
CNN has been chronicling Trump’s golf adventures from afar, but an unmarked white truck obscured the network’s view of the course on Wednesday while Trump was assumed to be playing. The network had a clear shot of Trump on the course again on Thursday near a cart and in golf attire.
A cheery-looking Trump was observed by a photographer for DailyMail.com through the window of his SUV on Wednesday, and again on Thursday, waving to onlookers as he returned to Mar-a-Lago in his motorcade.
Trump had no plans to leave his resort on Thursday evening, with the White House relieving the president’s press pool from duty just before 4 pm EDT.
The previous afternoon Trump had ditched his golf polo for a suit and tie and delivered remarks at a local firestation after his almost-daily Trump International golf trip.
At the station, the president thanked first responders who service him when he’s on vacation, saying they are ‘fantastic’ and ‘incredible’ at reigning in fires.
‘What you do, in terms of paramedics and fire and all of the other things you do that people don’t appreciate like they should. But we appreciate it. And we’re giving you a lot of equipment. We’re giving you a lot of help,’ the president told them.
Before leaving, Trump told them, ‘I’ll go back to Palm Beach, and you go back and also watch yourselves on television, huh?
‘We created some stars in here, chief,’ the president stated.
A White House spokesman would not characterize the president’s activities on Wednesday or Thursday at Trump International, including Trump’s golf partners
On Wednesday, an unidentified white truck blocked what likely would have been a visual of President Trump spending another day on the links at his West Palm Beach golf club
The president arrived at Trump International at roughly 8:30 am on Thursday and was presumed to be golfing on the property that’s minutes away from Mar-a-Lago, the private resort he owns in Palm Beach
HARD AT WORK: Trump sent this tweet on Thursday morning from Trump International Golf Club
Trump used the visit to boast about the GOP tax cut and stock market highs in front of the cameras.
‘You know when the stock market goes up that affects everybody, not just — you know you think of the rich, you think of the big — the fact is it affects everybody because people own stocks, whether it’s in 401(k)s or otherwise. So it’s really been great,’ the former real estate mogul said.
Trump said the tax slash bill he signed into law minutes before he left the White House for Florida is the ‘legislation of all legislation’
‘And I tell you, that tax cut bill is something with what’s it’s kicking in,’ he said. ‘So the country is really — you have a big, big beautiful ship that we’re turning around. And a lot of good things are happening.’
Trump has been posted up in Palm Beach for five nights with plans to stay in Florida through New Year’s Day.
Trump was said to be on out with friends and pro golfers Jim Herman, Daniel Berger, and Justin Thomas, along with Thomas’ father, on Saturday.
His Christmas eve partners were never stated in spite of repeated inquires from the press.
That day the president and first lady took calls from children tracking Santa through NORAD before they attended an evening mass. Sunday was the last time that Melania Trump was observed in Palm Beach by the press.
Trump has been posted up in Palm Beach for five nights with plans to stay in Florida through New Year’s Day. He fired up Twitter on Thursday morning sending a series of tweets
Trump gives onlookers a thumbs up as he drives by on his way back Wednesday from his West Palm Beach golf club
Here, the president waves at supporters on Thursday in a similar outfit to the one he wore Wednesday
As the president’s motorcade crossed a bridge near Mar-a-Lago supporters of the president’s welcomed him to the Winter White House
Supporters of President Trump await the arrival of his motorcade on Southern Boulevard in Palm Beach, Florida
Monday, the president did not make a public appearance of any kind as he celebrated Christmas privately at Mar-a-Lago with his adult children, the first lady and their 11-year-old son.
A tweet that evening from his personal account said: ‘I hope everyone is having a great Christmas, then tomorrow it’s back to work in order to Make America Great Again (which is happening faster than anyone anticipated)!’
The next day Trump was out on the course again. He seemingly turned the five-hour excursion into a working golf game, however, bringing along Perdue, a Republican who represents Georgia in the U.S. Senate.
Perdue, the author of a bill to overhaul the nation’s immigration system that the president is pursuing for January passage.
A request for comment went unanswered by Perdue’s office.
Thursday the senator’s office sent out a release touting Trump’s accomplishments that mentioned their ‘spending time’ together that did not explicitly say they played golf.
‘I remain committed to keeping the President’s agenda on track in the Senate by continuing to work alongside Senator Tom Cotton to change our archaic immigration system,’ Purdue’s statement read. ‘In addition, we have to find ways to fully support our military, open up new markets for American businesses, and begin to rebuild our county’s infrastructure.’
His visit to the golf property on Thursday, when the photo was taken, marked his 87th time at one of the courses he owns since taking office
Monday, the president did not make a public appearance of any kind as he celebrated Christmas privately at Mar-a-Lago with his adult children, First Lady Melania Trump and their 11-year-old son. He sent the above tweet that evening
Tuesday, the White House said that Trump was on the links with Sen. David Perdue, the author of a bill to overhaul the nation’s immigration system that the president is pursuing for January passage
Dana Quigley hits a shot from the fairway during the first round of the Allianz Championship held at The Old Course at Broken Sound on February 6, 2015 in Boca Raton, Florida. He joined the president’s foursome at Trump International on Tuesday along with PGA tour golfer Bryson Dechambeau (right)
ABOUT THAT RED CARPET ROLLOUT; President Trump took a slap at China in a Thursday tweet
Pro golfer Bryson DeChambau and former PGA player Dana Quigley were on the course with Perdue and Trump, the White House said Tuesday.
Perdue’s statement suggested that he and Trump discussed the senator’s proposition to restructure the federal immigration system. Perdue and Cotton, an Arkansas Republican, have proposed a merit-based system that ends the visa lottery system and a process Trump has dubbed chain migration because it allows family members of visa holders to follow them into the country.
The White House is working out a deal with legislators that would protect illegal immigrants who came to the U.S. as children from deportation in exchange for changes he’s demanding to the country’s entryways.
In addition to the merit-based immigration overhaul, Trump wants lawmakers to green-light funding for his U.S.-Mexico border wall.
After his rendezvous with Perdue on Tuesday, Trump sent a single tweet celebrating his tax cut achievement. The message made no reference to immigration.
‘All signs are that business is looking really good for next year, only to be helped further by our Tax Cut Bill. Will be a great year for Companies and JOBS! Stock Market is poised for another year of SUCCESS!’ he said.
He brought the topic back up later in a tweet that took a slap at former President Bill Clinton
Trump seemingly turned Tuesday’s excursion into a working golf game, bringing along Perdue, a Republican who represents Georgia in the Senate
Trump was unusually silent on Wednesday while he was at Trump International.
But he sent a flurry of messages while he was there on Thursday.
‘Vanity Fair, which looks like it is on its last legs, is bending over backwards in apologizing for the minor hit they took at Crooked H. Anna Wintour, who was all set to be Amb to Court of St James’s & a big fundraiser for CH, is beside herself in grief & begging for forgiveness!’ the first one said.
A second tweet celebrated holiday retail sales numbers.
‘We’ve got the economy going better than anyone ever dreamt – and you haven’t seen anything yet!’ Trump tweeted.
The president was back to bashing those who’d wronged him minutes later, saying in a third missive:’ Caught RED HANDED – very disappointed that China is allowing oil to go into North Korea. There will never be a friendly solution to the North Korea problem if this continues to happen!’
On his way back from golf Trump tweeted about North Korea again, this time with old footage of himself and former President Bill Clinton.
The video stressed Trump’s belief that he had Pyongyang’s number 18 years ago, and it was Clinton who put the U.S. in harm’s way.
Trump’s visit to his golf property Thursday marked his 87th time at one of the courses he owns since taking office, according to an NBC tracker, and his 113th day at a property he owns. He has been in office 342 days.
The president’s frequent golf outings his first year on the job have come under scrutiny, especially in the context of his criticism of former President Barack Obama.
Trump said in an Oct. 13, 2014 complaint, ‘Can you believe that,with all of the problems and difficulties facing the U.S., President Obama spent the day playing golf. Worse than Carter.’