White House says Trump's status as 'champion-level golfer' will help his next big project
Donald Trump has set his sights on renovating a "president's golf course" he has never officially played on.
The president will look to "renovate and beautify Joint Base Andrews’ golf courses" according to White House spokesman Davis Ingle. Trump has already taken on several construction projects, with the east wing of the White House torn down to make way for a presidential ballroom. Plans to repaint the Eisenhower Building have been met with legal action, as a preservation group recently filed a lawsuit against the president.
But it appears these are minor setbacks, with Trump now shifting focus to Joint Base Andrews' course. Trump once suggested the course had once been great but was "destroyed over the years, through lack of maintenance."
The "president's golf course" is named as such because of its frequent visits from acting presidents. Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Joe Biden all used the course when in office, with Barack Obama on the green most of all.
His roughly 110 trips to the course over eight years is the most of all presidents, though still pales when compared to Trump's time on other courses. Trump has spent an estimated 92 days of the first year of his second term golfing, AP News reported.
Renovations for the course could be underway soon, according to White House spokesman Davis Ingle. He said, "President Trump is a champion-level golfer with an extraordinary eye for detail and design."
"His vision to renovate and beautify Joint Base Andrews’ golf courses will bring much-needed improvements that servicemembers and their families will be able to enjoy for generations to come." It has been claimed "very little money" would be needed for the renovation work.
The same was said of Trump's ballroom project, which has crept up in price from the initially proposed $200million to $400million. The president made his plans for the $200million turned $400million ballroom project known in July this year, but the renovation has hit more than a few snags.
Trump has been hit by more than one lawsuit regarding his changes to the White House and surrounding buildings, and the head architect of his proposed East Wing renovation quit earlier this year.
It is hardly the best start for Trump's plan, which columnist Amanda Marcotte believes is the president's only chance to leave his legacy in the White House. Trump's initial plan for the ballroom has expanded, and as such, the project has been delayed.