(Newser) – Amid a plethora of headlines like the Washington Post's recent "How much is Donald Trump’s travel and protection costing, anyway?" Sean Spicer Monday defended President Trump's golf habits. Responding to a question from Yahoo White House correspondent Hunter Walker about the 10 golf trips Trump has taken to Florida since becoming president—specifically, how they are any different from the golf games then-President Obama played, which were often criticized by Trump before he became president—Spicer explained that Trump himself has talked about "how you use the game of golf" for diplomatic purposes, Politico reports.

story continues below

"You saw him utilize this as an opportunity with [Japanese] Prime Minister [Shinzo] Abe to help foster a deeper relationship in southeast Asia ... and have a growing relationship that’s going to help US interests," Spicer said. He added, per the Washington Post, that Trump isn't necessarily always playing golf when he heads to the golf course; sometimes he's just having meetings. Walker followed up by asking why, then, the media is not hearing details from these meetings, to which Spicer replied by saying, multiple times, that Trump is "entitled to a bit of privacy." (Read more President Trump stories.)

