Allegations that former U.S. President Donald Trump systematically cheats at golf have received what the accuser calls a stunning, under-oath confirmation from an unlikely source: Republican Senator Lindsey Graham.
Under Oath Testimony Surfaces
According to documents obtained by The New York Times this week, Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina was asked during a 2022 grand jury interview if Donald Trump cheats on the golf course. Graham's reported response was telling. "Some people say you may outdrive him, but you're not going to outdrive his caddy," Graham stated, adding, "It is what it is."
Veteran sportswriter Rick Reilly, who authored the 2019 book Commander in Cheat detailing Trump's alleged golf deceptions, seized on the quote. He highlighted it on social media platform X as definitive proof for his past claims. Reilly directly addressed Trump's supporters, writing that Graham "just said it under oath."
A Pattern of Alleged Deception
Reilly, who has golfed with Trump, has described a pattern of elaborate cheating tactics. In a 2024 interview, he claimed the former president uses a "turbo-charged golf cart" that moves three times faster than his playing partners, allowing him a 200-yard head start to manipulate balls before others arrive.
The specific allegations are vivid. Reilly asserts Trump moves his own ball into better positions and sometimes kicks his opponents' balls into bunkers. One anecdote from a Los Angeles game involves a $50-per-hole wager. "He hits it in the pond. They see the splash," Reilly recounted. "By the time they get there, it's in the middle of the fairway... And he goes, 'It must've been the tide.'"
Reilly has long maintained this behaviour is an open secret among golfers who have played with Trump, telling the Associated Press in 2019 that "dozens and dozens of people" could declare him guilty.
Scrutiny Beyond the Scorecard
The focus on Trump's golf habits extends beyond accusations of cheating to the significant financial cost borne by taxpayers. An analysis found that his golf hobby cost taxpayers more than $150 million during his first term in office. The expenses have continued into his current political activities, with costs exceeding $70 million so far during this period, covering travel, security, and logistics for his frequent visits to Trump-owned golf properties.
The allegations gained renewed public attention last year when a viral video appeared to show Trump improving his lie on a golf course, which many observers interpreted as cheating. The recent emergence of Graham's sworn comment, however, provides what Reilly considers the most credible validation to date, coming from a political ally in a formal legal setting.
