Trump admits he'd cheat at golf if he could, but Secret Service has one big problem for him

DUBLIN, IRELAND: President Donald Trump, on Saturday, September 12, offered a rather unusual explanation for why he cannot cheat at golf: the Secret Service is always watching.

During a lighthearted story about his golf outings in Dublin, Trump joked that he might move the ball if he had the chance, but the security operation surrounding him makes even a little golfing mischief difficult.

His explanation soon turned into an even funnier account of what happens to everyone else when the president is in danger.

Trump says he'd like to cheat but can't

Trump was discussing the accusations that he sometimes bends the rules on the golf course when he offered his defense.

“They said, 'Does Trump cheat?' I can't cheat,” he said. “You have 250 Secret Service agents running around.”

Trump then admitted that the issue was not necessarily a lack of willingness.

“It's not that I wouldn't cheat, but you can't move the ball,” he said.

According to Trump, the large security presence makes it difficult to quietly shift a golf ball when nobody is looking.

He added that he was unsure whether the agents themselves played golf, but said that they knew that moving the ball was against the rules.

The president then launched into a story about a golfer who apparently realized that being near Trump could come with its own risks.

Trump said a man had complained that when something happens involving the president, the response can be enormous, with trucks, tanks, and security personnel quickly moving into action.

The man, Trump recalled, asked what would happen to him if a threat emerged while he was playing nearby.

Trump’s answer was not exactly reassuring. “He said, 'What about me, sir?' I'm sorry, you're considered collateral damage. You're on your own, sir,” Trump said.

The president then praised the Secret Service, saying agents had been “great” and that they “don't play games,” particularly after the 2024 assassination attempt against him in Butler, Pennsylvania.

Below is the video showing President Trump making the remarks about playing golf with a top business executive and the Secret Service keeping watch over the course.

Trump continues golf bragging

Shortly before his cheating admission, Trump had already posted a clip of himself teeing off on Truth Social.

“Such a great golfer. Too bad I have very little time to play!!!” he wrote alongside the video.

Trump has repeatedly pushed back against claims that he cheats on the golf course.

Lindsey Graham, a longtime Trump ally, once joked about the president’s approach to the game, saying that while some players might be able to outdrive Trump, “you’re not going to outdrive his caddy.”

Graham reportedly made the remark during a 2022 grand jury appearance in Georgia.

Trump regularly plays at his golf properties in Florida, Virginia and New Jersey. His time on the course has drawn repeated criticism over the taxpayer cost of presidential travel and Secret Service security.