Golf as an Analysis of President Donald Trump

For John, BLUF:  The Authoor tells us, in excrusiating detail, how Donald J Trump cheats at golf, and at life.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Commander in Cheat
Author:  Rick Reilly
Kindle Version:  257 Pages
Publisher:  Hachette Books
Language:  English
ASIN:  B07H4Z26T7
Publication Date:  2 April 2019

The Author, Mr Rick Reilly, gives us a solidly packed look at the life of Donald J Trump through the lens of the game of golf.  Mr Reilly sees golf as a game where players are congeniel and open and honest.  The occasional cheater is the odd man out.  Mr Reilly, who writes about golf for a living, has a reverence for the game and sees those who do not follow the norms, as he understands them, as fallen away.  In the eyes of Mr Reilly, Mr Trump is the worse offender regarding the norms of golf, and is thus unfit to be President of the United States.

To Author Reilly Mr Trump is unfit for the high office not just because he violates the norms of golf, but because he carries his attitude toward golf over into his conduct as President.  Rules are for others and win at all cost.  And, if you aren't winning, say you are anyway.  And corrupt the caddy who goes with you, involving him or her in your shenanigans..

The Author does a great job of documenting time after time how Mr Trump has cheated on the links and in developing golf clubs.  He paints Mr Trump as an unsavory character.  At the same time he documents how people enjoy playing with Mr Trump, who makes it a fun time, albeit, a fast round.

The question, of course, is if Mr Trump's egocentric need to always be the winner, the top performer, hinders or helps his performance as President.  The odds are looking good that he will again be the Republican nominee in 2024.  I very much doubt Mr Reilly will be voting for Candidate Trump, even if his opponent is Joseph R Biden, Jr.

I see the author's point and having come across people for whom looking good is more important than an honest appraisal of how good they are I see the problems.  On the other hand, I am not sure about the Author's understanding of the world.  The thing that popped out at me was his denigration of Mr Trump for naming his golf couse in Rancho Palos Verdes.

I have only played a round of golf twice in my life. so I don't have a good basis for judging the book, but one part does make me wonder.  The Author is dismissive of Mr Trump, Golf Course Developer, for naming golf courses not for where they are. but for a near big city.  For example, Trump National Golf Club Washington, D.C. is in Sterling, Virginia.  His second example is Trump National Golf Club Los Angeles, which is in Rancho Palos Verdes.  Mr Reilly says "Trump Los Angeles is in Rancho Palos Verdes, California, 75 minutes south of L.A."  I checked my computer map and used the LA Civic Center and Wayfarers Chapel, a well known landmark.  My map app has it at 42 minutes (31 miles), going straight South, to San Pedro, which is part of Los Angeles, and then due West.  I used to live in LA County and have driven out by Rancho Palos Verdes and think of it as part of Greater Los Angeles.  I think he wiffed.

But, I accept that Donald J Trump is so competitive that he is willing to cheat to be number one.  It is not a good trait.  On the other hand. in 2016 his opponent was Ms Hillary Clinton.  There were several books out there telling me that the Clintons were dishonest.  The FBI investigation of her use of a private email server for official public communications put me off.  I was very unhappy with her leading the Europeans support for Libya rebels.  I thought it was a gift to North Korea's Kim Jong Il and his desire to keep his nuclear weapons.  And the whole Benghazi imbroglio was bad.  I had a choice and I picked Candidate Trump.

In 2020 I again had a choice.  There was President Trump and there was former Vice President Neil KinnockJoe Biden.  I liked what President Trump had done with the economy, including overseeing the Black Labor Participation Rate increasing.  I thought he acted quickly with regard to COVID-19.  I was happy that he reached out to North Korea's Kim Jung il, even stepping into Kim's country.  In contrast. I didn't have faith in Mr Biden's promise to bring us all together.  I saw him as more of a weather-vane.  I voted for Mr Trump.

Regards  —  Cliff