
For nearly two weeks, Trump refused to mention the four soldiers killed in Niger. But he did spend nearly 20 hours playing golf.

Only by monumentally screwing up his belated effort to reach out to families of the four U.S. troops killed by ISIS during a raid in Niger has Donald Trump been able to obscure one of the more stunning aspects surrounding his callous behavior: the fact that he went golfing five times before he ever got around to extending any sympathies.

During a nearly two-week window when Trump refused to acknowledge the four deaths, he golfed five times at the Trump National Golf Club in Virginia. He golfed with Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC). He golfed with Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY). All told, Trump spent nearly 20 hours on the links.

The deadly Niger raid occurred on Oct. 4. Trump golfed on Oct. 7, 8, 9, 14, and 15. The outings represented the 69th, 70th, 71st, 72nd, and 73rd rounds that Trump has played since being inaugurated. Trump has spent nearly one-fourth of his presidency at golf courses.


The White House won’t acknowledge how often Trump plays golf, but at this point, it’s assumed that if he travels to one of his golf resorts, that means he played a round.

One of those golf outings made news when Graham told reporters Trump shot a 73 on a championship course on a rainy day, a low score that immediately drew guffaws from golfing experts.

Trump’s singular focus on golf highlights how he remained oddly determined to not do the right thing in the wake of the worst day of U.S. military combat losses since Trump took office in January.

For nearly two weeks, Trump refused to acknowledged the deaths, refused to honor the men by name, refused to reach out to the families. This, despite the fact that White House staffers immediately drafted a statement of sympathy for Trump to release to the public. Yet somehow that statement was mysteriously shelved.

Trump was only forced to acknowledge the troops when pressed by journalists about his silence. That’s when he opted to attack President Barack Obama by lying about how the former president handled soldier condolences. Then Trump offended the family of a slain Green Beret with a dismissive phone call on Tuesday.

But really, all you need to know about Trump’s callous mindset was his endless trips to his golf resort. That forever remains his top priority.