George W Bush’s wartime golf comments resurface as Trump hits the links amid Iran war

WASHINGTON, DC: Former US President George W Bush’s past comments about golfing during wartime have resurfaced online more than a decade later. The remarks are circulating again as President Donald Trump played a round of golf during the ongoing Iran–Israel–US conflict.

In a May 2008 interview with Politico at the White House, Bush said he stopped playing golf after the August 2003 bombing of the United Nations headquarters in Baghdad. The attack killed several people, including the UN’s top official in Iraq, Sergio Vieira de Mello.

What did George Bush say in the resurfaced video?

According to the resurfaced video, Bush told the outlet that he decided to stop playing golf after the deadly bombing at the United Nations headquarters in Baghdad in August 2003.

"I remember when de Mello, who was at the UN, got killed in Baghdad as a result of these murderers taking this good man’s life," Bush said in the video. 

Bush said he was playing golf in central Texas when aides informed him about the attack and de Mello’s death. After hearing the news, he decided it was no longer appropriate to continue playing the sport.

"I was playing golf — I think I was in central Texas — and they pulled me off the golf course and I said, ‘It’s just not worth it anymore to do,’" said Bush. 

The former president explained, "I don’t want some mom whose son may have recently died to see the commander in chief playing golf."

Bush added that he felt responsibility for showing solidarity with grieving families and believed that playing golf during wartime could send the wrong message. "I feel I owe it to the families to be in solidarity as best as I can with them. And I think playing golf during a war just sends the wrong signal."

Trump spotted golfing amid Iran war

Bush's interview began circulating online again after Trump was seen playing golf on Sunday, March 8, just days after a Time magazine cover story titled “Trump’s War” was published on Thursday, March 5.

During an interview, Time correspondent Eric Cortellessa asked Trump about the ongoing war with Iran. When asked if Americans should worry about attacks on US soil, Trump replied that people are always concerned and that the government constantly plans for threats.

He added, “But I think they’re worried about that all the time. We think about it all the time. We plan for it. But yeah, you know, we expect some things."

Photos of Trump golfing were published a day before a Pentagon official confirmed to The Washington Post that about 140 US service members had been wounded in the Iran conflict and seven troops had died.

Jasmine Crockett has a go at Trump admin's $26M golfing expenses

On April 8, 2025, Texas Rep Jasmine Crockett criticized the Trump administration's government spending during a House subcommittee hearing on delivering efficiency.

Crockett noted that, as of March 30, Trump’s golfing had cost approximately $26 million. She said, "So, I will get back on my remarks, but I just wanted to point out that maybe we need to talk about the president and his golfing habits... He has decided that he wanted to play games while the rest of us are really trying to make sure that we can serve the American people.”