Trump’s Bedminster weekend and 5 bizarre moments that had little to do with golf

Trump knows how to make an entrance, although this one reportedly came at an inconvenient moment for the professionals trying to play. The president arrived at Bedminster aboard Marine One, with the helicopter landing near the course as LIV’s players were competing. Play was temporarily halted during Trump’s arrival, according to reports, leaving golfers waiting before they could resume their rounds. Trump then moved around the property in a golf cart, attracting considerable attention from spectators as he watched the action.

Trump also made sure his voice was heard at Bedminster, delivering a lengthy, characteristically freewheeling monologue to people gathered at his club. He wandered through several subjects. “I love golf,” Trump said during the remarks. He began by praising his property, declaring, “This is a great course. This is a great, great course.” He then turned to his favorite subject: his own golf game. Trump told the room about his recent club championship victory at Bedminster, boasting that he had shot a 70 despite having had little opportunity to practice because of his presidential duties. He had made a similar claim days earlier on Truth Social, writing, “I won with a score of 70,” before adding, “It’s called TALENT, and I have it, and they don’t!” The celebratory monologue came at an awkward moment for LIV Golf. Players and executives had gathered at Bedminster amid uncertainty over the breakaway tour’s future, with its financial structure set for major changes after the 2026 season.

Throughout the weekend, Trump was not a discreet tournament host watching from behind the ropes. He traveled around his property, greeted guests and players, interacted with spectators and remained a conspicuous presence around the course. That is hardly surprising. Bedminster is Trump's club, and his relationship with LIV Golf stretches back years. Trump properties hosted LIV events before his return to the White House, while the president has repeatedly praised the Saudi-backed league.

Trump also spent time at Bedminster with nine-time major champion Gary Player. Trump posted a picture of himself alongside the 90-year-old Player with the message, "With the great Gary Player, today, at Bedminster!" But observers quickly noticed that Trump's appearance in the posted photograph differed considerably from news photographs taken during the outing. The version shared by Trump appeared digitally or AI-enhanced, with smoother skin, a slimmer-looking appearance and other alterations compared with the original photograph. Player, meanwhile, appeared far less changed.

Trump returned from his Bedminster weekend with his famous blond hair largely hidden beneath a baseball cap, just days after his appearance in Las Vegas reignited online speculation about whether his noticeably fuller hairstyle was a wig.

Not all of the attention surrounding Trump was generated by the president himself. His longtime aide Natalie Harp was repeatedly photographed at Bedminster carrying a conspicuous large red backpack, and the accessory soon became the subject of online speculation. Harp is rarely far from Trump and has become known for supplying him with printed material, earning the nickname “the human printer” in media accounts. The backpack, however, inspired considerably wilder speculation online about what she might be carrying.