Donald Trump has visited a golf course for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic struck, a day after a top doctor warned during a White House briefing that players should observe social distancing rules.
As coronavirus infections in the country reached 1.6m and the number of deaths passed 96,000, the president made his way to the Trump National Golf Club at Sterling, Virginia.
The pool of White House press reporters who follow him said he was seen wearing a white cap and white polo shirt. One longtime correspondent said it was the president’s “185th golf outing spanning all or part of 247 days”. An online counter of his total visits since taking office suggested it was around his 260th.
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Reports said the outing on Saturday lunchtime was the president’s first golf trip since 8 March, when he visited his club in West Palm Beach, Florida. White House officials did not immediately reveal if Mr Trump actually played a game.
The Florida visit was also the same weekend he met at his Mar-a-Lago retreat with Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro, whose press secretary later tested positive for the virus.
On social media, reaction to Mr Trump’s visit was immediate. Not all of it was kind.
Jon Favreau, a former speech writer for Barack Obama, said: “Trump won’t do anything else to stop a virus that’s killed 100,000 Americans.
“He won’t do anything else to fix an economy where 40 million are out of work. He will golf, though!”
Underscoring the scale of the death toll, Mr Trump's hometown paper, the New York Times, devoted the entirety of Sunday's front page to the names of 1,000 of the victims.
Also on Saturday, part of the Memorial Day holiday, New York governor Andrew Cuomo warned people not to abuse the loosening of lockdown rules.
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On Friday, he allowed up to 10 people to attend ceremonies honouring America’s military veterans. On Saturday, he reminded people to maintain social distancing and to use face masks
“It depends on how people act. You can have a safe gathering of 10 people. You can also have a wholly unsafe gathering of 10 people,” he said
Shape Created with Sketch. Care home hit by coronavirus: A rare glimpse of life inside Show all 18 left Created with Sketch. right Created with Sketch. Shape Created with Sketch. Care home hit by coronavirus: A rare glimpse of life inside 1/18 Jack Dodsley, 79, with a carer in PPE at Newfield Nursing Home Tom Maddick/SWNS 2/18 Jackie Wilson, a healthcare assistant, wearing PPE before going into rooms Tom Maddick/SWNS 3/18 Jack Dodsley, 79, speaks to a carer at Newfield Nursing Home Tom Maddick/SWNS 4/18 Carers working at Newfield Nursing Home Tom Maddick/SWNS 5/18 A care worker wearing PPE opens a drink carton Tom Maddick/SWNS 6/18 Jack Dodsley, 79, sits with a carer Tom Maddick/SWNS 7/18 Jack Dodsley, 79, with a carer in PPE Tom Maddick/SWNS 8/18 A care staff member wearing PPE Tom Maddick/SWNS 9/18 A staff member at Newfield Nursing Home looks after a resident SWNS 10/18 A carer wearing PPE uses a speaker Tom Maddick/SWNS 11/18 A carer helps Jack Dodsley, 79, from his chair Tom Maddick/SWNS 12/18 A carer wearing PPE helps Jack Dodsley, 79 Tom Maddick/SWNS 13/18 A staff member at Newfield Nursing Home Tom Maddick/SWNS 14/18 A carer brings food to a resident at Newfield Nursing Home Tom Maddick/SWNS 15/18 Jack Dodsley, 79, with a carer in PPE Tom Maddick/SWNS 16/18 A staff member puts on PPE at Newfield Nursing Home Tom Maddick/SWNS 17/18 Jackie Wilson, a healthcare assistant, puts on PPE before she enters a room SWNS 18/18 A bench at Newfield Nursing Home Tom Maddick/SWNS 1/18 Jack Dodsley, 79, with a carer in PPE at Newfield Nursing Home Tom Maddick/SWNS 2/18 Jackie Wilson, a healthcare assistant, wearing PPE before going into rooms Tom Maddick/SWNS 3/18 Jack Dodsley, 79, speaks to a carer at Newfield Nursing Home Tom Maddick/SWNS 4/18 Carers working at Newfield Nursing Home Tom Maddick/SWNS 5/18 A care worker wearing PPE opens a drink carton Tom Maddick/SWNS 6/18 Jack Dodsley, 79, sits with a carer Tom Maddick/SWNS 7/18 Jack Dodsley, 79, with a carer in PPE Tom Maddick/SWNS 8/18 A care staff member wearing PPE Tom Maddick/SWNS 9/18 A staff member at Newfield Nursing Home looks after a resident SWNS 10/18 A carer wearing PPE uses a speaker Tom Maddick/SWNS 11/18 A carer helps Jack Dodsley, 79, from his chair Tom Maddick/SWNS 12/18 A carer wearing PPE helps Jack Dodsley, 79 Tom Maddick/SWNS 13/18 A staff member at Newfield Nursing Home Tom Maddick/SWNS 14/18 A carer brings food to a resident at Newfield Nursing Home Tom Maddick/SWNS 15/18 Jack Dodsley, 79, with a carer in PPE Tom Maddick/SWNS 16/18 A staff member puts on PPE at Newfield Nursing Home Tom Maddick/SWNS 17/18 Jackie Wilson, a healthcare assistant, puts on PPE before she enters a room SWNS 18/18 A bench at Newfield Nursing Home Tom Maddick/SWNS
Gatherings of up to 25 people were being allowed outdoors in New Jersey, although governor Phil Murphy said the loosened restrictions did not apply to outdoor dining or school graduations, which should remain under 10 people.
The White House said the president spent some of his day on Saturday speaking with the leader of Turkey, Recep Erdogan.
“President Trump and president Erdogan reaffirmed the urgent need for a political resolution to the conflict in Syria, as well as unimpeded humanitarian access throughout the country,” said a statement.
Mr Trump returned to the White House by mid afternoon.
Reports said there were a handful of protesters outside the golf club as he left. One held up a sign that read: “Trump makes me sick.”
Karmakazee on May 23rd, 2020 at 19:14 UTC »
I’d love to see a campaign add with clips of him hitting golf balls on his ongoing multi-million dollar golf outings, with a coronavirus deaths ticker at the bottom of the screen for the date of each golf trip.
praguer56 on May 23rd, 2020 at 18:42 UTC »
He needs to get revenue up. He'll travel with an entourage of family, friends and administration hangers on. A dozen or so rooms get rented, meals and top shelf drinks, golf cart rentals and green fees - all paid by the Fed.
Want to bet after he visits the Space X launch he'll head to Mar A Lago?
FeelingJeweler on May 23rd, 2020 at 18:07 UTC »
This man doesn’t care about anyone but himself.