On Saturday, Donald Trump headed to one of his own golf courses in Virginia to tee off, accompanied by an assortment of maskless lackeys. Regular residents of Sterling, Virginia, are still under lockdown orders, according to Mother Jones, meaning he had the course to himself. Conveniently, his staff and security had to spend taxpayer money while staying at the grounds, the president’s property. It was his 250th time at the golf course since he took office.
WATCH: President Trump golfs on Saturday at his Virginia golf club. pic.twitter.com/L8SJf0wKzo
— The Hill (@thehill) May 23, 2020
This was a big weekend for Trump’s presidency in other ways. Specifically, the death toll for COVID-19 in the U.S. approached the 100,000 mark. When the deadly virus first appeared in the country, Trump suggested that the virus would disappear. Since then, he’s come up with all sorts of false numbers and predictions, even stating that the mortality count would be far below 100,000 by the time the virus mysteriously disappeared.
While many mass deaths are acknowledged formally by the government, these deaths have not been. The New York Times published a shocking list of names to remind everyone of the enormous loss that Trump has been ignoring:
Doris Brown, 69, Gary, IN, wife who died on the same day as her husband.
Randy G. Addison, 64, Carrollton, GA, survived being shot in the line of duty in 1984.
Romi Cohn, 91, NYC, saved 56 Jewish families from the Gestapo.
Ann Kolb, 78, New York, leader in integrating schools. pic.twitter.com/jbL2XF7wbh
— Michael Skolnik (@MichaelSkolnik) May 24, 2020
The president has been criticized for his frequent golf outings on his own properties since he took office, but this particular trip is so deeply insulting to the American public that people are actually shocked again by his oblivious cruelty:
Trump doesn't just golf while Americans die.
He golfs at Trump properties.
So far his golfing has cost you and me $134,000,000.
So he is stealing our money, while we die.
— Joshua Potash (@JoshuaPotash) May 24, 2020
Just remember that Trump does not allow the Secret Service free use of his club’s golf carts. The Secret Service has to rent them, at exorbitant taxpayer expense, for the privilege of protecting Trump while he plays golf. https://t.co/nfolZCisO8
— James Gleick (@JamesGleick) May 24, 2020
BREAKING: Trump is on his way to play golf again today. 100,000 Americans dead under his watch. And he’s golfing. Again. Trump is the biggest fraud and failure ever.
— Scott Dworkin (@funder) May 24, 2020
Make no mistake, when Donald Trump plays golf, he's saying, "F*ck You, America!". This Memorial Day Weekend he's saying it 100,000 times.
— Dr. Jack Brown (@DrGJackBrown) May 23, 2020
It’s been pointed out that in 2014, Trump called into Fox and Friends to criticize President Barack Obama, who went golfing during the Ebola outbreak:
Definition of Hypocrisy:
Trump in 2014: “When you’re president, you sorta say, ‘I’m gonna give [golf] up for a couple of years and really focus on the job.'
… There are times to play and there are times you can't play.”#TrumpDeathToll100Kpic.twitter.com/GO8BuliY0r
— Minh Ngo (@minhtngo) May 23, 2020
While Ebola had devastating effects across Liberia and other countries, in the U.S. there were 11 confirmed cases. Two people died. A tragic loss for their friends and families, but on the scale of what is happening now, Trump’s criticism is shown for the hypocritical nonsense it is.
There’s always a tweet. https://t.co/LPQXaF2Wkt https://t.co/pMuMy9kskD
— Troll Cat (@2p2TrollCat) May 23, 2020
Trump’s golf plans are an attempt to signal that the country should open again, ignoring public health in a gamble to resurrect the economy. This push will likely lead to a second wave of deaths. How big will the wave have to get before Trump acknowledges that it’s crashing down on top of him?
