One-fifth of Donald Trump’s days as president spent golfing

U.S. President Donald Trump has spent 50 days at Trump properties since being inaugurated into office on January 20, 2017.

That amounts to almost one-third of his days as president.

He’s also spent 36 days golfing, according to NBC News, which has been tracking where Trump spends his days.

Most recently, he was seen on his golf course in Bedminster, N.J., this past weekend. Last month, he was seen driving on the green in a golf cart at the same club.

But White House officials are refusing to confirm whether Trump has golfed, despite reporters and other golfers who’ve seen him on the course.

Instead, they say he “may have hit a few holes,” according to CNN.

Trump’s penchant for the golf course is at odds with his campaign promises.

“I’m going to be working for you. I’m not going to have time to play golf,” he said at a campaign rally in 2016.

He also slammed former president Barack Obama for how often he golfed on Twitter throughout Obama’s terms.

But if he keeps up at this pace, Trump is on track to golf around 150 times more than Obama, who golfed 333 times in eight years.

What’s the cost?

Trump’s partiality to stay at Trump properties also poses some ethical and monetary concerns.

The website Is Trump At Mar-a-Lago estimates a weekend trip to the Southern White House, where he’s hosted foreign dignitaries costing US$3.6 million, based on similar trips that Obama took. A trip to Bedminster could cost around US$840,000.

Palm Beach County, where Trump’s Mar-a-Lago hotel is located, spends more than US$60,000 a day when the president visits, mostly for law enforcement overtime, the Associated Press reported.

There’s also ethical concerns on Trump hosting foreign dignitaries; Congressional Democrats asked the Government Accountability Office to investigate whether Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe openly discussed classified information at the unsecured Mar-a-Lago resort.