The next edition of Sports Illustrated, set to be released August 7, will feature a story about President Trump and one of his favorite pastimes, golf.
A story that would be an innocuous diversion were it not for one specific quote that’s got everyone in a tizzy.
So why does the president spend so much time at his golf club? Because, according to Trump’s own words, “That White House is a real dump.”
Here’s the context, from SI Senior writer Alan Shipnuck:
“As President, Trump has already made four visits to the club [Bedminster]. He has his own cottage adjacent to the pool; it was recently given a secure perimeter by the Secret Service, leading to the inevitable joke that it’s the only wall Trump has successfully built. Chatting with some members before a recent round of golf, he explained his frequent appearances: ‘That White House is a real dump.'”
Shipnuck does caveat the quote by writing in parenthesis directly after: “A White House spokesperson denies this occurred,” but also states that “Trump is often at his most unguarded among the people who pay for their proximity to him.”
“Last November,” Shipnuck writes, “the President-elect hosted a cocktail reception and dinner at Bedminster on the same weekend that he was holding interviews at the club with candidates for his Cabinet. At the dinner, Trump addressed the members of the club by saying, ‘This is my real group. You are the special people. I see all of you. I recognize, like, 100% of you, just about.’ Then he issued an open invitation to drop in on his Cabinet interviews the next day.”
In other words, it’s not particularly surprising that Trump would joke around like that with a group with whom he shares a particularly contextual thing in common – extraordinary wealth.
That didn’t stop Twitterers from all sides of the political spectrum from piling on the president for his alleged comment:
Federal judge reportedly mocks group that sued Trump’s voter integrity commission
There's that famed blue collar appeal https://t.co/ukRyXXiNZT
— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) August 1, 2017
"The White House is a dump" would've been a week-long scandal/PR crisis in the Obama admin, crowing out all talk of everything else.
— Chris Hayes (@chrislhayes) August 1, 2017
Seriously, if Obama called the White House a "real dump" Fox News would have covered it 24/7 for at least a year.
— Ben White (@morningmoneyben) August 1, 2017
If @realDonaldTrump truly thinks the White House is a "dump," many of us would chip in to pay for the Uhaul to take him back to Trump Tower.
— Paul Begala (@PaulBegala) August 1, 2017
"The White House is a dump" is an insult to all of us who worked there, to curators who preserved it and its thousands of volunteers.
— Micheline Maynard (@MickiMaynard) August 2, 2017
Even Chelsea Clinton couldn’t resist:
Thank you to all the White House ushers, butlers, maids, chefs, florists, gardeners, plumbers, engineers & curators for all you do every day https://t.co/rjQS9HeALG
— Chelsea Clinton (@ChelseaClinton) August 1, 2017
https://twitter.com/archill88/status/892512394420695041
https://twitter.com/redsteeze/status/892519899154829312
So yeah, the optics of the quote aren’t great, but then again if the comment actually happened as written it was likely just a corny joke between rich dudes. After all, before Trump even won the election speculation abounded that his White House move would be a downgrade from the kind of life he was used to. A Lifezette article in December 2015 begins: “For Trump, White House Ain’t the Presidential Suite – Billionaire could lose some of the finer things in life if he wins in November.”
I'm guessing Trump thinks the White House is a dump because the toilet is not gold plated & there's no mirror on the bedroom ceiling
— Michael Cohen (@speechboy71) August 1, 2017
Whatever lifestyle Donald Trump is used to living, the fact that his policies and everyday actions actually put the interests of the American people first is why those who voted for him still support him in overwhelming numbers.
Op-ed views and opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of BizPac Review.
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