If President Trump makes a hole-in-one and no one is around to film it, does it count?
On Wednesday, journalists from CNN said they were stopped from seeing the president’s round at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach.
As photographers set up a new shot, while remaining on public property, a large white truck moved between the camera and the golf course, CNN reported.
Yesterday & 2 other times during POTUS' Winter vacation,CNN cameras captured Trump golfing, from public sidewalk. Today, not possible pic.twitter.com/EIfmWCj5kD
— Noah Gray (@NoahGrayCNN) December 27, 2017
It may seem like a cheap shot aimed at reporters, but spokespeople say otherwise.
A spokeswoman for the Secret Service told CNN that “The USSS is in the business of protection and investigations not in commissioning vehicles to block the media’s view of the President’s golf swing.”
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The Palm Beach County sheriff’s office told CNN they “did not order a box truck to block any views of the president.”
We know that Trump loves his golf resorts: He spent 17 days in August at his New Jersey golf resort, and mentioned that same course during a major speech in South Korea.
Largely, however, Trump’s personal golf schedule remains a touchy, albeit mysterious subject. On Thursday, Trump appeared to have golfed again, though the White House refused to respond to multiple inquiries confirming the president’s activities while he was at the club. However, CNN had already aired footage of Trump on the course, according to pool reporter Francesca Chambers.
The White House often won’t confirm whether or not the commander-in-chief is on the course, refusing to provide details on his recreational activities. In November, a pool report said that Trump was going to have a “low-key day.” The White House communications staff later asked for a correction to clarify that Trump would not be having a quiet day, but would instead have a schedule full of calls and meetings, according to a pool report. Later that morning and a couple of tweets later, Trump’s motorcade was spotted at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach.
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So why is it such a sore spot? No one can say for sure, but maybe it’s because Trump is trying to stay true to his promises from the campaign trail.
In a 2016 rally, Trump told a group in Virginia that he wouldn’t have time to be perfecting his swing: “I’m going to be working for you . . . I’m not going to have time to go play golf.”
Natasha Mascarenhas can be reached at natasha.mascarenhas@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @nmasc_