Trump's Bedminster Golf Outing Draws Criticism from Analyst Amid Economic and Health Concerns
Key Takeaways
- •Photographs from the LIV Golf New York event at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster showed President Trump with visible bruising on his hand and apparent difficulty moving between golf carts.
- •David Pakman criticized Trump for golfing while the United States faces economic difficulties, including the loss of 23,000 jobs in the most recent monthly report and rising credit card debt among Americans.
- •The Trump Golf Tracker estimates that the president has spent approximately 22% of his second administration golfing, costing taxpayers around $175 million.
- •Pakman referenced U.S. military strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities in June as a source of ongoing economic turmoil that makes the president's golf outings seem especially poorly timed.
- •LIV Golf, the Saudi Arabia-backed league hosting the event, has regularly held tournaments at Trump-owned courses throughout his political career.

Photographs of President Donald Trump taken over the weekend have drawn attention from political commentator David Pakman, who criticized the president for spending time on the golf course while the country grapples with economic challenges.
The images, captured at the Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey, during the LIV Golf New York event, show Trump with visible bruising on his hand and appearing to have difficulty moving between golf carts. LIV Golf, the Saudi Arabia-backed golf league that has drawn controversy since its launch, has hosted events at Trump-owned courses throughout his political career.
Pakman addressed the photographs on Monday during an episode of "The David Pakman Show" on YouTube. Rather than focusing on Trump's apparent physical struggles, Pakman pointed to what he considered the more troubling aspect of the scene.
"The most disturbing thing is that Trump played golf while the country faces economic turmoil from his war with Iran," Pakman argued, referring to the U.S. military strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities in June.
According to the Trump Golf Tracker, the president has spent approximately 22% of his second administration golfing, at an estimated cost to taxpayers of around $175 million. Presidential leisure habits have historically drawn scrutiny from political opponents, though Trump's frequency of outings has attracted particular attention across both of his administrations.
Pakman also cited recent economic indicators, noting that the United States lost 23,000 jobs in the most recent monthly report. Additional data pointed to a significant number of workers leaving the workforce and a rise in credit card debt among Americans.
"So, now I'm paying interest on multiple months, and I got to stay in a job I hate because there might not be another good job available, or I'll lose health care if I leave, and Trump is golfing," Pakman said during the broadcast.