The 47th President of the United States took group of children out to the White House lawn to show off his athletic prowess, resulting in his immediate comeuppance as he failed to land a single putt
Rachel Vickers-Price UK and World News Reporter
03:30, 06 May 2026Updated 03:30, 06 May 2026
Donald Trump’s has failed to impress as he tried to show off his putting skills at the White House(Image: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)
US President Donald Trump has shown off his golfing skills on Tuesday, taking a group of schoolchildren out to the White House lawn to demonstrate his sporting prowess with a putt or two. But, instead of wowing the kids, Trump instead missed everyone one of his putts – before eventually giving up. Of course, the embarrassing blunder was caught on camera. A member of the gathered press took to social media to share the awkward golf gaffe writing: “At the [White House]… today, Trump takes the kids outside to demonstrate his athletic ability with a little putting display. He misses every putt before giving up.”
Aside from his lacklustre putting display, schoolchildren and athletes gathered at the White House for a special proclamation to revive the long-forgotten Presidential Fitness Test, which was phased out more than a decade ago by the Obama administration. Trump handed out the first copies of the revitalised program, which reintroduces a performance-based benchmark in physical education, to those present to mark the beginning of National Physical Fitness and Sports Month.
Content cannot be displayed without consent
In attendance were South African golfing great Gary Player – who is widely considered to be one of the greatest golfers of all time – and two-time US Open winner Bryson DeChambeau. Luckily for the President, it seems they did not witness his putting debacle, with the famous golfers nowhere to be seen as per the footage shared online. In the Oval Office, the US President began his announcement with a preprepared statement, which he – in typical Trump fashion – strayed off-course from moments later. “It is indeed a beautiful day to celebrate America’s athletic traditions and champions in physical fitness and all of those things,” Trump said, before seemingly going off script: “I work so hard on a personal basis. I work out so much—like about one minute a day max if I’m lucky.” Awkward chuckles followed.
It isn’t the first time Trump has spoken of his dislike for exercise. “I just don’t like it. It’s boring,” he said about personal fitness in a January interview with the Wall Street Journal. “To walk on a treadmill or run on a treadmill for hours and hours like some people do, that’s not for me.” During Tuesday’s pageantry at the Oval Office, one girl informed Trump that she aspired to play volleyball, to which he responded “soccer might be better” in reference to her height.
Trump, joined by (L-R) head coach of the Florida Gators men’s basketball team Todd Golden, retired professional golfer Gary Player, MLB pitcher Noah Syndergaard and professional golfer Bryson DeChambeau during a proclamation signing in the Oval Office(Image: Getty Images)
He then turned to a boy on his right, who revealed he played football, but was keen to take up powerlifting the following year. “You’ll never compete against women in powerlifting,” Trump remarked, before enquiring: “Do you think you can take me in a fight?” The 47th US President then told the roomful of children that Iran had been “two weeks away” from killing them during a rant about the war. The extraordinary moment was one of several inappropriate remarks he made as he went off-script at a White House sporting event. With children and professional athletes gathered around him in the Oval Office, Trump swiftly glossed over notable sporting achievements in the United States — including America 250 this summer and World Cup ticket figures — before pivoting to the subject of war. He said: “We have to make a journey down to Iran to take their nuclear weapon. They would’ve had a nuclear weapon within two weeks. “We sent that beautiful B-2 bomber in, and we blew up their nuclear potential. It was obliterated – for those who are not aware. To a point where it will take them weeks to dig down.
US President Donald Trump gestures as he speaks during the proclamation signing (Image: TOM BRENNER/POOL/EPA/Shutterstock)
“And we wouldn’t let them dig down. We have our eyes on it all the time. But it was a very important thing. So we would’ve had an Iran with a nuclear weapon. And maybe we wouldn’t all be here right now. “I can tell you, the Middle East would’ve been gone. Israel would’ve been gone. They would’ve trained their sights on Europe first, then us. Because they’re sick people. These are sick people, and we’re not going to let lunatics have nuclear weapons. It’s not going to happen.” The incident has gone viral across social media, alongside a separate moment in which he spoke about shooting protesters between the eyes – pointing to his forehead and saying: “Right there.”