Secret Service Spent $137,505 at Trump Properties on Golf Carts to Protect President

(ANTIMEDIA)  — On September 29, two days before Donald Trump ignited controversy by honoring hurricane-battered Puerto Ricans with a golf trophy, the Secret Service spent $61,960 to rent golf carts to protect the president and his family while he vacations, USA Today reported Thursday.

The media outlet, which reviewed federal purchase orders, writes that in total, the Secret Service has spent $137,505 so far this year renting golf carts at resorts in Florida and New Jersey. It was at a tournament at Liberty National Golf Course in Jersey City on October 1 that Trump dedicated a trophy to Puerto Rico.

Speaking from the stage, Trump acknowledged that the citizens of Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory, are facing a “horrible” situation. The president insisted, however, that the United States federal government had it all “under really great control” before honoring Puerto Ricans with the award.

“And we’re going to dedicate this trophy to all of those people that went through so much that we love, a part of our great state, really a part of our great nation,” Trump said that Sunday.

Trump’s insistence that the U.S. has been handling Puerto Rico’s situation appropriately — and the effectively meaningless gesture of honoring crisis-stricken people with a golf trophy — sparked controversy.

Not helping matters was the fact the media was already laser-focused on Trump-Puerto Rico relations. The day before the tournament, on Saturday, September 30, the president directly criticized the mayor of San Juan, Puerto Rico’s capital, for her “poor leadership ability” in responding to the devastation caused by Hurricane Maria.

Trump’s much-hyped visit to the commonwealth on Tuesday was also heavily criticized. The visit, which San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz called “insulting” to Puerto Ricans, saw the U.S. president tossing paper towels and other provisions to hurricane victims in a seemingly carefree manner.

The president’s love of golf, and the way in which he injected it into Puerto Rico’s crisis, currently has the mainstream media using the sport as a vehicle to comment on the man — hence reports such as the one from USA Today.

As some outlets continue to hone in on the fact that Trump golfed while Puerto Ricans suffered, others are arguing over just how good the president’s game is. Still others, such as NPR, are shining light on Trump’s failed golf-related business venture in Puerto Rico.

On the subject of golf carts, USA Today reports that the $61,960 spent by the Secret Service in September is the largest payout of 2017. The monthly contracts the agency signs have previously never exceeded around $18,000, the news outlet says.

Creative Commons / Anti-Media / Report a typo

US Coast Guard Shuts Down Stretch of Potomac River so Trump can Golf

[image: Trump National Golf Club, Sterling, Virginia. © Rob Carr / AFP]

(RT) On days when President Donald Trump hits the links at his private Virginia golf club, the US Coast Guard can expel boaters and paddlers from the Potomac River where it borders the president’s club, authorities have said. Some water lovers are not happy.

One benefit of designating the area as a “permanent security zone” would be that boaters would now know exactly what was off-limits and would be notified of the closures, Coast Guard spokeswoman Lieutenant Amanda Faulkner told the Washington Post.

The Coast Guard has already closed the two-mile stretch of the river next to the Trump National Golf Club in Sterling five times since March on an ad hoc basis.

“In a lot of ways this is better for the public, because they have more information,” Faulkner said.

Not everyone agrees, though.

“It’s just heartbreaking,” former marine John Deitle told the Post. He uses a kayaking program for wounded and disabled veterans at Riley’s Lock which would be blocked off under the new policy.

“Granted, it’s his golf course… but he has other golf courses,” said Deitle.

“This is a river-access issue. It’s not a political issue,” Canoe Cruisers Association Chairwoman Susan Sherrod told the Post.

Among a number of complaints from the paddling community, the newspaper also quoted Brett Mayer of the American Canoe Association who said, “We’ll do the best we can with the situation, but I don’t think it’s the end of the world.”

Public comments on the new policy must be submitted by August 9, after that it will be adjusted and the order made final.

The community of boaters and paddlers are not the only ones complaining about the enhanced security measures for Trump and his family.

In March, DC neighbors of Trump’s daughter and White House official Ivanka Trump and her husband, senior White House adviser Jared Kushner, complained that the Secret Service was taking up too much of the parking space in their ritzy Kalorama neighborhood.

Tiger Woods Arrested For DUI

A Cop pulls Tiger Woods over for swerving in and out of lanes on the highway. He tells Woods to blow into a breathalyzer.

"I can"t do that, officer -- I"m an asthmatic. I could hae an asthma attack if I blow into that tube."

"OK, we"ll just get a urine sample down at the station."

"Can"t do that either, officer. I"m a diabetic. I could get low blood sugar if I pee in a cup."

"Alright, we could get a blood sample."

"Can"t do that either, officer. I"m a hemophiliac. If I give blood, I could die."

"Fine then, just walk this white line."

"Can"t do that either, officer."
"Why not?"

"Because I"m drunk."