daniel chigunwe
President Joe Biden won’t be stepping up to meet a golf challenge issued by opponent Donald Trump on Tuesday as a spokesperson for the president’s campaign dismissed the invitation to a showdown on the course as “weird antics” and said Biden was too busy “defending the free world” to play 18 holes of golf.
Key facts
James Singer, a spokesperson for the Biden campaign, said in a statement to multiple outlets the president “doesn’t have time for Donald Trump’s weird antics” and instead responded to Trump with a series of his own “challenges” to “create jobs”, “stand up to Putin” and “follow the law.”
The rejection came after Trump repeatedly attacked Biden during a campaign rally in Florida and re-upped an exchange during their June 27 debate in which they traded jabs about their physical fitness and golf handicaps.
Trump (78) said he’d won two club championships and said Biden (81) wouldn’t be able to hit a ball 50 yards.
Biden responded with a jab about Trump’s fitness — saying he would be happy to play golf with the former president if he carried his own bag — and claimed to have a handicap of six in golf, which would rank him among the top quarter of all male players, according to Golf Digest.
On Tuesday, Trump re-upped the discussion and challenged Biden to an 18-hole golf match, saying he’d give the president a 20-stroke advantage and offering to donate US$1 million to the charity of Biden’s choice if the president won.
Trump said a match between the two presidential candidates would be “among the most-watched sporting events in history. Maybe bigger than the Ryder Cup or even the Masters.”
Crucial quote
“Joe Biden doesn’t have time for Donald Trump’s weird antics — he’s busy leading America and defending the free world,” Singer said.
“Donald Trump is a liar, a convict, and a fraud only out for himself — par for the course.”
Key background
The age and mental and physical fitness of Trump and Biden have been topics of much discussion amid the campaign.
Either candidate would be the oldest president ever elected if they win — a title they’ve both already held.
Trump became the oldest president to ever start the job at 70 years and 220 days when he was inaugurated in January of 2017, and Biden beat that record upon his 2021 inauguration, for which he was 78 years and 61 days old.
Following the pair’s June 27 debate, in which Biden appeared confused and mentally unable to keep up, dozens of prominent supporters and democratic leaders asked Biden to consider dropping out of the race and letting the Democratic nomination go to someone else.
Instead, Biden has doubled down on his plans to run and said he is the “best person to beat Donald Trump in 2024.”
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., on Wednesday encouraged the president to keep considering his decision and said, whatever Biden decides, “we go with.”
Big number
That’s how many rounds of golf the Washington Post estimates Trump played as president despite having heavily criticised his predecessor, Barack Obama, for having golfed 333 times in twice as many years.
Biden played golf once in his first 100 days in office, according to Business Insider, and Politico reported he’d played 10 times in the first nine months. — forbes.com
Bongani Ndlovu