Donald Trump is once again facing allegations of cheating on the golf course, following the circulation of a video reportedly taken during the 2025 Men’s Senior Club Championship on Saturday, August 2.
The 79-year-old president, a longtime golf enthusiast and owner of multiple golf courses around the world, has been documented spending a significant portion of his second term on the links. According to tracking site Trump Golf Track, nearly 20% of his days since returning to office have involved golf outings.
Trump’s recent win at his Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey, was celebrated with a post on the official White House Instagram account, which shared a photo of his scorecard. The caption read: “Winning on and off the course,” and stated that Trump shot a gross 69 and a net 67 to claim the tournament title.
However, shortly after the announcement, a video surfaced online raising questions about the legitimacy of that performance.
A social media user on X shared footage allegedly from the same day, showing a caddy appearing to drop a ball onto the green in front of Trump. The user wrote: “Another caddy caught dropping a golf ball for Trump. This time it was at Bedminster. This footage is from Saturday, the day the White House announced Trump won the 2025 Men’s Senior Club Championship.”
While the video has drawn criticism and mockery online, it remains unclear whether the footage was taken during the official tournament or simply during a casual round of golf.
Some users came to Trump’s defense, pointing out that marking and replacing balls on the green is a standard practice in golf. One wrote: “Perfectly legal on the green where players will mark the spot where the ball came to rest, usually with a coin.”
This isn’t the first time Trump has been accused of questionable conduct on the course. Just last week, during a trip to Scotland, another video emerged showing a caddy appearing to place a ball on the fairway ahead of Trump, leading to similar claims.
Over the years, several public figures have accused Trump of cheating at golf. Actor Samuel L. Jackson, in a 2016 interview on Late Night with Seth Meyers, said he had played with Trump and bluntly claimed: “I don’t cheat. He does.” Jackson described an incident where Trump’s ball clearly landed in a lake, only for his caddy to later declare it "found."
Former Sports Illustrated columnist Rick Reilly has echoed these sentiments, telling MSNBC’s Deadline White House: “He took seven mulligans. He took a ‘gimme chip-in.’ I’ve never even heard of that [...] Golf reveals character, and in Trump’s case, it shows he just can’t lose. He’ll cheat to win.”
Trump has consistently denied cheating allegations, often responding publicly. In 2016, he addressed Jackson’s comments directly, claiming he didn’t know the actor and saying: “I don’t cheat at golf but @SamuelLJackson cheats, with his game he has no choice.”
Despite the recent controversy, neither Trump nor the White House has issued a statement responding to the latest video. As the footage continues to circulate, the debate over the president’s golf game (and sportsmanship) continues to stir public attention.