Among his cheating tactics, Rick Reilly alleges, Trump uses a "turbo-charged golf cart" to get ahead of his competition so he can move the balls around before people catch up
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Former President Donald Trump during the LIV Golf Invitational at Trump National Golf Club Bedminster on July 28, 2022Sportswriter and author Rick Reilly is breaking down Donald Trump’s golf game after the former president boasted on Sunday that he was awarded two championships by his own golf club.
The So Help Me Golfauthor appeared on Deadline White House with Nicolle Wallace to share firsthand observations from when he's golfed with Trump.
“I’ve always said golf is like bicycle shorts. It reveals a lot about a guy,” Reilly joked during his appearance. “And what it reveals about this guy is that he cannot lose. He has to win and he will do anything to cheat.”
"And I know because I played golf with him and he took seven mulligans. He took a 'give me chip-in.' I’ve never even heard of a 'give me chip-in,'" he added.
A spokesperson for Trump denied Reilly's claims of cheating when reached by PEOPLE on Wednesday.
Related: Donald Trump Sues George Stephanopoulos for Defamation Following Viral ABC News Interview
Reilly claimed during the segment that he has seen Trump win tournaments even though he wasn’t “in the state when the tournament’s played,” and he also won a tournament in North Korea when he was talking to leader Kim Jong Un. Reilly claimed he also witnessed this happen during a two-day tournament this year.
“What he does [is] he just calls in and goes, ‘I usually beat that guy, give me the trophy,’” Reilly alleged.
“And I know this because when I play with him, he goes, ‘You know what I do to win these championships, don’t ya?’ and I go, ‘Please tell me. Give it to me.’ And he goes, ‘Anytime I buy a new course, I play the first round all by myself and then I declare myself the club champion,’” Reilly continued. “So that’s what kind of guy this is.”
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Retired golfer Jack Nicklaus presents Donald Trump with an award on behalf of Trump International Golf Club on March 24, 2024Reilly went on to claim that Trump has “never won a championship at a course he doesn’t own and operate” despite claiming that he's won 23. The author said Trump has played at stricter courses like Pebble Beach and Lake Tahoe and has never been in “the top half.”
“Can you just talk about how outside the ethos of the sport it is to cheat so audaciously?” Wallace asked.
“Well, I don’t know anything about politics, but I know about golf,” he replied. “I’ve covered it for about 45 years. It’s not a sport where you can cheat. It's just not in the game.”
“Because Nicolle, if you’re a hundred yards over here and I’m a hundred yards that way, I trust that you’re not gonna foozle it, kick it, throw it. And you trust that I’m not going to. And that’s the only way to play,” he continued. “Because there’s no refs, you can’t possibly cover that much territory.”
Reilly claimed there are stories that Trump’s golfing opponents have told him about “kicking opponents balls into the bunkers." And the writer claims Trump always uses a "turbo-charged golf cart that goes three times as fast" as his competition's, which gives him time to move the balls around before people catch up.
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“One time in L.A. he was playing $50 a hole with these three guys. He hits it in the pond. They see the splash. By the time they get there, [the ball’s] in the middle of the fairway, and they’re like, ‘What the f— Donald,’ and then he goes, ‘It must have been the tide,’” Reilly shared.
Some professional golf players have previously admitted to letting Trump cheat against them — including Tiger Woods and Dustin Johnson — and when Reilly asked their reasoning, he claimed, they all answered the same way: "I wanted my own story about Trump cheating."
In a statement shared with PEOPLE, Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung responded to Reilly's segment on MSNBC, saying, "Rick fantasizes about having a golf game as good as President Trump. But instead of putting in the hard work to improve his s—ty game, Rick allows his severe case of Trump Derangement Syndrome to completely take over his life. He should seek urgent medical care before it's too late."
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