The White House announced on Saturday that President Donald Trump has won a senior golf club championship round, despite facing backlash for newly implemented tariffs that have adversely affected the stock market.
“The President triumphed in his second round of the Senior Club Championship today in Jupiter, FL, and will advance to the final round tomorrow,” the White House stated in their announcement.
This announcement generated criticism from Trump’s opponents on social media, coinciding with his visit to Florida properties where he participated in golfing and events, including the Saudi-funded LIV Golf Miami tournament and a scheduled fundraising dinner at Mar-a-Lago on Friday.
Newsweek reached out to the White House for a comment via email on Saturday.
Why It Matters
The timing of Trump’s golfing has drawn scrutiny as Americans witness their retirement savings diminish following his tariff directive. Democrats, including Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, have accused the president of living in a “billionaire bubble” while regular Americans grapple with economic issues.
The tournament announcement is also underscored by Trump’s absence at a solemn ceremony honoring four U.S. soldiers who tragically lost their lives in a recent training incident in Lithuania.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt previously informed Newsweek: “The Secretary of Defense will stand in for the Administration at the dignified transfer for the four courageous U.S. service members who tragically died during a training exercise in Lithuania.”
What To Know
On April 2, which Trump labeled as “Liberation Day,” the President declared his intention to impose increased tariff rates on countries with trade surpluses with the United States.
During a speech at the White House, he announced a 10 percent baseline tariff on imports from nearly all nations, along with “reciprocal” tariffs for others, revealing a chart indicating higher duties on significant U.S. trading partners.
While certain nations will only see the baseline 10 percent tariff, others have tariffs set above 30 or even exceeding 40 percent. Trump claims these tariffs will be absorbed by foreign countries, but many economists argue that these costs will ultimately be passed down to consumers, leading to significant price hikes on imported goods.
After the announcement, Wall Street experienced its worst day since 2020, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. The S&P 500 index fell by 4.84 percent as markets closed Thursday, while the Nasdaq dropped 5.97 percent, marking its largest decline since the COVID crash in March 2020. The Dow Jones Industrial Average concluded with a decline of 3.98 percent.
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell cautioned that the tariffs were “significantly larger than anticipated” and would likely lead to further inflation.
In spite of the market chaos, Trump defended his policies on his Truth Social platform, stating, “TO THE MANY INVESTORS COMING INTO THE UNITED STATES AND INVESTING MASSIVE AMOUNTS OF MONEY, MY POLICIES WILL NEVER CHANGE,” and he encouraged supporters to “HANG TOUGH.”
Trump mentioned a conversation with Vietnamese leader To Lam regarding potential trade agreements and criticized China for enacting punitive tariffs. Additionally, he celebrated a March jobs report revealing 228,000 new jobs, asserting that it supported his economic approach, even though the report reflected conditions prior to his tariff announcement.
Lauren Sopourn/Getty Images
What People Are Saying
X, formerly Twitter, account “Republicans against Trump” posted on X about the White House’s statement: “How’s this real life?”
UJ host Jake Tapper reposted the White House statement on X with a sarcastic message: “Great news, everybody!!!!!”
Blogger Majid Padellan wrote on X: “Can you imagine the uproar if President Biden skipped a dignified transfer of 4 dead U.S. soldiers to play golf instead, while at the same time, millions of 401Ks were being wiped out by his tariffs? MAGA would DEMAND impeachment. But for Trump? Crickets.”
Political analyst Chuck Todd wrote on X: “Just astonishingly tone-deaf. Crater the world economy then spend the weekend golfing against Washington General-like competitors. Seems fairly clear he’s not interested in running for any office again.”
Senator Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, wrote on X: “He’s mocking you, and he just so obviously doesn’t care that he’s wrecking the economy and wrecking Americans’ retirement accounts.”
Senator John Barrasso, a Wyoming Republican, defended Trump in an interview earlier this week, stating: “The president is a dealmaker if nothing else, and he’s going to continue to deal country by country with each of them.”
President Donald Trump on Truth Social on Saturday: “THIS IS AN ECONOMIC REVOLUTION, AND WE WILL WIN. HANG TOUGH, it won’t be easy, but the end result will be historic. We will, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!!”
What Happens Next?
The economic effects of Trump’s tariff policies will continue to develop as markets respond and international trade partners react.
Trump’s approach to economic issues and military responsibilities is likely to remain in the spotlight, especially as more information comes to light about the four service members who perished in Lithuania: Troy Knutson-Collins, Jose Duenez Jr., Edvin Franco, and Dante Taitano.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images
