President Donald Trump played golf at his Virginia course Saturday ahead of the Category 5 Hurricane Dorian's expected arrival near the southeastern US.

Trump, who was scheduled to be at Camp David in Maryland preparing for the hurricane over the weekend, apparently traveled to his Sterling, Virginia, golf course by helicopter, which took a little more than four hours.

The White House said Trump received hourly updates on the hurricane throughout the weekend. The Federal Emergency Management Agency's acting head, Pete Gaynor, accompanied Trump on his trip away from Washington.

Trump has played golf 212 times while in office.

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President Donald Trump appeared to be playing golf Saturday, just days before parts of the southeastern US were expected to be battered by the Category 5 Hurricane Dorian, which the National Hurricane Center has called catastrophic.

Official communications from the White House and statements from Trump ahead of the weekend trip had suggested Trump would be spending his time at Camp David in Maryland monitoring and preparing for the storm.

According to press pool reports, however, Trump traveled to his Sterling, Virginia, golf course Saturday morning by helicopter from Camp David. The White House press secretary, Stephanie Grisham, reportedly told reporters that someone from the Federal Emergency Management Agency was briefing Trump on the hurricane every hour.

Trump departed the course at 2:40 p.m. ET, according to his schedule, and received his scheduled full briefing at Camp David when he returned.

Read more: Trump's golf outings have reportedly cost taxpayers more than $100 million



The White House hasn't explicitly acknowledged that Trump was playing golf or who his partners were during his visit to the club.

The Hill published video that it said showed Trump on the golf green Saturday. Text accompanying the original video, which was reportedly sourced from CNN footage, indicated Trump could be seen wearing a black cap, a white shirt, and tan pants.

Hurricane Dorian is expected to approach the coast of the US late Monday and early Tuesday, with state officials ordering mandatory evacuations and states of emergency.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency will oversee the federal preparations and response to the hurricane, though the agency doesn't have a Senate-confirmed leader. The deputy FEMA administrator, Pete Gaynor, is serving as acting administrator following Brock Long's resignation over his controversial use of government vehicles, according to Politico.

Trump has brushed off concerns regarding Gaynor's experience, telling reporters on Friday that having an acting administrator "gives you great flexibility that you don't have with permanent."

Gaynor reportedly accompanied Trump to Camp David to provide updates, but it's not clear whether he was present on the golf course with Trump.

According to Trump Golf Count, a website that tracks Trump's golf trips, Trump has played golf 212 times while he has been president.