Outrage as Trump plays golf on his private course during coronavirus crisis

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Fin Gomez, a CBS News journalist, said the US President was seen “in his typical golf wear of white polo shirt and white baseball cap” early in the day. The president was reportedly accompanied by Secret Service agents wearing masks.

He then later reportedly arrived at his gold club in Sterling, Virginia.

According to NBC News, Mr Trump was seen playing with three other people at his golf course.

None of the players were reportedly wearing masks or face coverings.

More than 1.6m cases of Covid-19 have been confirmed in the US.

The country’s death toll is approaching 100,000.

The Trump administration has been encouraging states in America to reopen their economies and for citizens to enjoy the Memorial Day weekend which is traditionally viewed as the start of the American summer.

On Friday, Dr Deborah Birx said at the White House that although there is still “significant virus circulating” in Washington DC, Maryland and Virginia, activities including golf are encouraged.

She continued: “We’re asking continuously for you to be outside to enjoy your Memorial Day weekend.

“To play golf, to hike, as Dr [Anthony] Fauci said, to play tennis with marked balls and to be out with your families that you have been in the household with and to even consider sharing social distancing space.”

Ms Birx went on to say that golfers should not touch flags on greens and that picnicking was ok “as long as you have utensils that belong to individuals and that maybe can be thrown out immediately.”

The governor of New York, Andrew Cuomo, signed an executive order to allow outdoor gatherings of restricted size over the Memorial Day weekend.

However, on Saturday morning, New York City faced a downpour of rain.

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On Mr Trump’s campaign trail for presidency in 2016, he famously told supporters: “I’m going to be working for you. I’m not going to have time to play golf.”

But since becoming the US president, Mr Trump has allegedly played golf more than 200 times.

The last time he played a game was in Florida on 8 March, as the pandemic was beginning to gain momentum.

In a tweet from 2014, Mr Trump criticised President Barack Obama during his time in office for playing golf.

Mr Trump tweeted in 2014: “President Obama has a major meeting on the NYC Ebola outbreak, with people flying in from all over the country, but decided to play golf!”

President Trump told NBC at a Professional Golfers’ Association special last weekend: “I do miss [golf].

“I haven’t played, really, since this problem that we have started.

“I haven’t been able to play golf for a while.

“I’ve been very busy, and I think that it’s just one of those things, but we’re getting back to normal.”

Last year Mr Trump installed a new room-size golf simulator in the White House, replacing an older version used by President Obama.

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