Biden and Trump debate their golf games

In one of the more cogent parts of the Presidential debate, the two Presidents argued over something near and dear to them both: their golf games.

From the Los Angeles Times news section:

Fore! Biden and Trump argue about who’s better at golf during Thursday’s debate

By Seema Mehta and Faith E. Pinho

June 27, 2024 8:52 PM PT

In one of the more bizarre presidential debate moments in recent memory, President Biden and former President Trump sparred over their prowess — on the golf course.

After the octogenarian and septuagenarian were asked about voters’ concerns about their ages during the Thursday night faceoff, Trump raised his skills on the links as proof of his physical strength.

“I’m in very good health. I just won two club championships — not even senior, two regular club championships,” Trump said, referring to his golf game. “To do that, you have to be quite smart, and you have to be able to hit the ball a long way. And I do it. He doesn’t do it. He can’t hit a ball 50 yards.”

Biden mocked Trump for the height and weight he claims to be.

“He’s gonna say he is 6-5 and only 225 pounds,” Biden said. “Look, I’d be happy to have a driving contest with him. I got my handicap, which when I was vice president, down to a six. And by the way, I told you before, I’m happy to play golf if you carry your own bag. Think you can do it?”

“That’s the biggest lie, that he’s a six handicap,” Trump said. “I’ve seen his swing. I know your swing.”

A golf handicap is a number that allows players of different skill levels to be weighted against one another. The lower the handicap, the better the golfer. …

Biden claimed a handicap of 6.7 in 2011 and Trump a 2.8 in 2018, both of which were excellent for guys their age. Of course, both have been suspected of only reporting their better rounds to earn a lower handicap (the opposite of what a golf hustler does to win bets).

In general, Presidents really like golf.

Of the last 20 Presidents, going back through William Howard Taft, 17 have been fairly regular golfers during at least part of their lives. Obama played 333 times in eight years in office, while Clinton’s goal for his final year in office was to break Eisenhower’s modern one-year record by playing over 100 times in a year (although Wilson is estimated to have played 1200 times while in the White House). Only Hoover, Truman, and Carter did not play golf. (And they only won one election each.)

Presidents tend to be ex-team sport jocks (e.g., Trump played first base on his high school baseball team and Biden played split end on his high school football team). And golf tends to be the favorite sport of men who used to play some ball in school.

The two went back and forth for a few more seconds, before Trump said, “Let’s not act like children.”

“You’re a child,” Biden responded.

I’ve long remarked that while Trump’s personality is sui generis, Biden might be the nearest thing to Trump among normal politicians. Both have huge egos. For instance, here’s Joe’s 1987 “I have a much higher IQ than you” outburst during his first of three runs for the Presidency:

But while Trump’s egomania is part of his personality performance art that some people enjoy and some people hate, Biden’s egomania is boring, so most people don’t notice it.

But Joe’s ego is still there, and hence the Democrats find themselves in a big hole after Biden’s age caught up with him in the Presidential debate. A more reasonable, modest man would have decided to be content without a second term in his 80s, but neither candidate would have become President in the first place by being reasonable about his ambitions.