A sportswriter who has accused Donald Trump of cheating at golf so much he has even written a book about it has once again blasted the president’s apparent foul play.
Rick Reilly, former Sports Illustrated columnist and author of Commander in Cheat: How Golf Explains Trump, hit out at Trump while sharing a viral clip that appears to show the president’s caddie illegally dropping a ball on the green during a round.
“So you know, it’s NEVER legal for your caddie to drop a ball. YOU can drop one, but never on a green. And since this was a full-score event, it’s not legal for Trump to drag the ball into the hole,” Reilly posted on X alongside the clip posted by the Patriot Takes account. “No, no, never. Our president is a f---ing golf cheat.”
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The footage was reportedly taken Saturday at Trump National Golf Club Bedminster, the same day the White House’s Instagram account boasted that Trump, 79, won the 2025 Men’s Senior Club Championship with a gross score of 69—3 under par—and a net 67.
Reilly had predicted that the president would not play fair ahead of the tournament, especially after Trump was accused of cheating in Scotland last month when a caddie allegedly placed his ball in a favorable spot instead of where it actually landed.
“Hey Trump, tomorrow is the Senior Champ at Bedminster. Are you shameless enough to pretend you won it? Even after the whole planet saw you cheat in Scotland? Is your ego that sick?” Reilly posted Friday.
Two days later, after Trump was declared the winner, Riley wrote in a follow-up X post: “Guess we got our answer. What a child.”
Trump has a history of somehow managing to win tournaments at his own clubs. This includes a member-member championship at Bedminster last month, and a Senior Club Championship at his Jupiter, Florida course in January, where “nobody saw him play,” reported the Palm Beach Post.
In 2019, Riley published his book openly suggesting Trump regularly cheats while playing golf and lies about how many club championships he has actually won.
Riley based his book on his experiences playing with Trump, as well as interviews with dozens of people including caddies who have assisted Trump during games.
“Somebody should point out that the way Trump does golf is sort of the way he does a presidency,” Reilly wrote. “Which is to operate as though the rules are for other people.”
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Daily Beast.
