President Joe Biden, proper, and former President Donald Trump on the presidential debate Thursday evening.
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For those who’re searching for debate takes or shrewd political evaluation, you’ve come to the fallacious place.
We’re right here to not ruminate over which presidential candidate acquired the higher of the opposite Thursday evening in CNN’s Atlanta studios however fairly to acknowledge what golfers from sea to shining sea have been texting, tweeting and speaking about within the wake of the much-watched nationally televised occasion: the roughly 30 seconds President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump spent sparring over their respective golf video games. As Charlie Warzel wrote for The Atlantic, “It wasn’t till the point out of Trump’s common distance off the tee that America acquired a glimpse of two males combating like they’d one thing to show.”
The unlikely golf banter commenced towards the top of the talk when moderator Dana Bash requested Trump about issues concerning the age he could be — 82 — on the finish of a possible second time period. In response, Trump stated that he has “aced” two cognitive assessments and that he’s in “excellent well being” earlier than claiming that he just lately “gained two membership championships — not even senior — two common membership championships.”
Trump seemed to be referencing no less than one of many titles he had posted about on Reality Social in March: “It’s my nice honor to be at Trump Worldwide Golf Membership in West Palm Seaside tonight, AWARDS NIGHT, to obtain THE CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP TROPHY & THE SENIOR CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP TROPHY. I WON BOTH!”
In response to that submit, Biden tweeted in jest, “Congratulations, Donald. Fairly the accomplishment.”
On the podium Thursday night, Trump continued of his golf prowess on the membership stage: “To do this, you need to be fairly sensible, and you’ve got to have the ability to hit the ball a great distance. And I do it. He doesn’t do it. He can’t hit a ball 50 yards. He challenged me to a golf match. He can’t hit a ball 50 yards.” Alas, with no Golfzon on the stage, that allegation went unverified.
Biden replied: “Look, I’d be blissful to have a driving contest with him. I acquired my handicap, which, once I was vp, right down to a 6. And by the way in which, I instructed you earlier than I’m blissful to play golf in the event you carry your personal bag. Assume you are able to do it?”
Trump: “That’s the most important lie, that he’s a 6 handicap, of all.”
Biden: “I used to be an 8 handicap.”
Trump (edited for brevity): “Yeah…by no means…I’ve seen your swing, I do know your swing.”
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It’s not usually that presidential debate fact-checkers should reference the Golf Handicap and Data Community (GHIN), a handicapping service supplied by the USA Golf Affiliation that computes and manages the handicaps of roughly 2 million golfers, Biden and Trump amongst them. But it surely’s additionally not usually that golf takes heart stage in such a high-wattage discussion board. A GHIN search reveals that Biden, whose residence membership is Fieldstone Golf Membership in his residence state of Delaware, hasn’t posted a rating in practically six years, however his Handicap Index from his Veep days checks out: 6.7. (Trump, who hasn’t posted a rating in three years, is listed in GHIN as having a 2.5 index enjoying out of Winged Foot Golf Membership, simply outdoors New York Metropolis.)
In a debate crammed with weighty points, from the financial system to abortion rights to the wars in Gaza and Ukraine, nobody will dispute that the sudden pivot to golf was trite and trivial. But it surely additionally garnered intense publicity. The Washington Submit, New York Instances and Wall Road Journal all wrote concerning the trade. So, too, did Fox Information and the Related Press and Slate and The New Republic and the Los Angeles Instances.
If social media was any barometer, Trump and Biden’s golf chirping additionally was not misplaced on a broad swath of the citizens. “THey speaking bout golf im crying braH,” rapper Schoolboy Q tweeted to his 2.5 million followers. Tweeted political pundit Ben Shapiro to his flock of 6.6 million: “Trump hammering Biden on golf is among the funniest issues I’ve ever seen in politics.” Even two-time U.S. Open champion Bryson DeChambeau let it fly, writing, “Let’s settle this entire handicap debate, I’ll host the golf match on my YouTube.”
None of it carries a lot clout, in fact — the handicaps, the membership championships, the smash elements — or no less than it shouldn’t when it in the end comes time to deciding the following commander in chief. However to any golfers who’ve debated such frivolous issues about their very own video games, maybe in golf-buddy textual content teams or over grill-room beers, the squabble possible resonated as a result of it was so relatable. As former Masters champion and lead CBS golf analyst Trevor Immelman succinctly famous on X, in capturing the swirl across the viral tiff: “Everybody loves golf.”
That may be a stretch. However on the very least the talk did get everybody speaking about golf.
