Just hours after celebrating yet another self-declared “championship” win at his Florida golf club, former President Donald Trump offered a belated and dispassionate acknowledgment of the deadly storm system that had already killed dozens across the South and Midwest.
On Sunday afternoon, Trump posted exuberantly on Truth Social, boasting about his tournament victory at one of his private clubs. “Such a great honor! The Awards dinner is tonight at the Club,” he wrote, lavishing praise on his golf staff and “fantastic golfers” who had, in his words, made the day “such fun.”
At the time of his post, emergency responders were pulling survivors from collapsed homes. Tornadoes had torn through neighborhoods. Dust storms swept across highways. Wildfires, fueled by the same violent system, were still active. The death toll had reached at least 40, with hundreds injured and entire communities left without power or water.
But in Trump’s universe, it was the golf score that mattered most.
It wasn’t until nearly three hours after his jubilant tournament brag that Trump addressed the carnage. Only then did he issue a follow-up statement on Truth Social: “We are actively monitoring the severe tornadoes and storms…” He went on to note National Guard deployments and asked followers to “pray for everyone impacted.”
This juxtaposition—Trump gloating about a golf trophy while disaster ripped through half the country—is emblematic of a leadership ethos defined by spectacle, not substance. While Americans were grieving, Trump was grinning in his red MAGA cap, surrounded by applause, cameras, and the self-indulgent theater of Mar-a-Lago.
It’s not the first time Trump has placed vanity above crisis. He has a documented pattern of using golf to escape scrutiny or deflect from emergencies. During his presidency, he was criticized for frequenting his clubs while Americans faced hurricanes, pandemics, and civil unrest. CNN, NBC News, and Washington Post have all documented the pattern in real time.
His obsession with winning, particularly in golf—a sport he often plays alone or in tournaments hosted by his own organization—has led to a long string of dubious claims. Trump frequently declares himself champion of events he barely participates in. He brags about breaking records with no evidence. He awards himself trophies. For Trump, golf isn’t recreation—it’s ego theater.
And as storm clouds build over the country, so too does the cloud of hypocrisy. Just last year, Trump ridiculed President Joe Biden for visiting the beach during Hurricane Helene, which killed over 200 people. “You don’t go to the beach,” Trump said during a Georgia rally in March 2024. “I don’t think that looks good.” He mocked Biden’s appearance, his decision-making, and his fitness for office—all while ignoring his own record of golfing through crisis after crisis.
When natural disasters strike, the public looks for leadership that is focused, steady, and empathetic. Trump, instead, offered a gold-plated trophy, an awards dinner, and a delayed prayer tweet.
While Americans mourned under storm-darkened skies, Trump chased a title no one else was even keeping score for.