President Biden went to play golf with his brother on Sunday. The American people know this because unlike Donald Trump, the White House didn’t treat it like a state secret.
From the White House Pool Report as provided to PoliticusUSA:
The motorcade arrived at the golf course at Joint Base Andrews at 12:49 pm.
The motorcade came to a stop on a road next to several golf carts, where a group of Secret Service and other people were waiting. The pool spotted aides carrying a couple sets of golf clubs.
We did not see POTUS exit his SUV, and the press then split off from the rest of the motorcade. The pool is now holding in vans down the street, out of sight of POTUS.
No word yet on the president’s golf partners.
….
The White House staged the pool near the second hole. At 1:46 pm, the pool spotted POTUS driving a golf cart.
POTUS, in a blue shirt and khakis, hit his ball. It sliced to his right, landing near some trees outside the main fairway. POTUS then got back in the golf cart and began driving to retrieve his ball.
The White House pulled the pool and we returned back to the vans. We were too far away to shout questions.
While we waited for POTUS, Secret Service agents arrived in golf carts. A German Shepard was sitting in the front seat of one of the carts. An agent led the dog around the second hole, in an apparent security sweep.
From the White House: The president is golfing at Joint Base Andrews with his brother:
James “Jimmy” Biden
The Difference Between Trump And Biden Is Transparency
How each president approaches playing golf is an example of differences in transparency. Trump was notorious for hiding from the media when he played golf and who he played golf with. The press pool would be shuttled off to a different location where they could not see what Trump was doing.
After getting criticism for the amount of golf he was playing and the large bill he was running up at his private clubs that the taxpayers were footing, the Trump administration tried to claim that he was working when he was playing golf.
In contrast, President Biden isn’t golfing at a private club, placed the media on the golf course at the second hole, and told reporters who he was golfing with.
If a president won’t be transparent about something as simple as golf, they assuredly won’t be honest and transparent about bigger issues.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association