Donald Trump is famous for handing out nicknames to his political rivals\u2014\u201cCrooked Hillary,\u201d \u201cSleepy Joe,\u201d and most recently, \u201cBirdbrain\u201d for Nikki Haley. Over the years, he\u2019s built a reputation for using cutting and often mocking monikers as weapons in the political arena.<\/p>\n
But what many people don\u2019t know is that Trump has a nickname of his own, and it doesn\u2019t come from the campaign trail or a political enemy.It comes from the golf course.<\/p>\n
And according to caddies, fellow players, and longtime members of elite clubs, it\u2019s a nickname rooted not in admiration\u2026 but in accusations of cheating.<\/p>\n
They call him \u201cPele.\u201d<\/p>\n
Not because of his finesse. Not for his athleticism. But because, like the legendary soccer player, Donald Trump has allegedly developed a habit of kicking\u2014only it\u2019s his golf ball, not a soccer ball.<\/p>\n
The Game He Loves \u2014 and Allegedly Cheats At
\nDonald Trump is no stranger to golf. Throughout his presidency and beyond, he\u2019s spent hundreds of hours on the links, often at courses he owns. He\u2019s proudly declared himself a club champion at multiple courses, racking up dozens of self-reported titles.<\/p>\n
But as much as Trump claims to love golf, he may also love winning a little too much.<\/p>\n
Sportswriter and author Rick Reilly dove into Trump\u2019s golf habits in his bestselling book, Commander in Cheat, where he claims the former president doesn\u2019t just bend the rules\u2014he breaks them wide open.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve always said golf is like bicycle shorts,\u201d Reilly said during a TV appearance. \u201cIt reveals a lot about a man. And what it reveals about Trump is that he has to win\u2014so he cheats.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mulligans, \u201cGive Me\u201d Chip-Ins, and Mystery Trophies
\nReilly recounted firsthand experiences playing with Trump, where the former president allegedly took seven mulligans (extra shots that aren\u2019t counted), granted himself chip-ins without finishing the play, and routinely moved his ball into better positions.<\/p>\n
Reilly says Trump once explained how he \u201cwins\u201d so many club championships: \u201cAnytime I buy a new course, I play the first round all by myself\u2026 and declare myself the club champion.\u201d<\/p>\n
Let that sink in.<\/p>\n
According to Reilly and others, Trump has claimed victories in tournaments where he never even competed\u2014or wasn\u2019t even in the state.<\/p>\n
And this isn\u2019t just secondhand gossip. Former Trump Plaza executive Jack O\u2019Donnell shared that one of his colleagues, the late Mark Eddis, once played with Trump and came back laughing. When asked if Trump cheated, Eddis replied: \u201cEvery shot but the tee shot.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Nickname \u201cPele\u201d: A Caddy\u2019s Inside Joke
\nAt Winged Foot Golf Club\u2014one of the country\u2019s most prestigious courses and a favorite of Trump\u2019s\u2014caddies began noticing a curious pattern.<\/p>\n
Trump, they said, had a habit of kicking his ball out of tough lies and back onto the fairway when he thought no one was watching.<\/p>\n
They nicknamed him \u201cPele\u201d\u2014a nod to the Brazilian soccer icon and Trump\u2019s own claimed admiration for the player.<\/p>\n
Of course, it wasn\u2019t a compliment.<\/p>\n
According to Bryan Marsal, chair of the 2020 U.S. Open and a longtime Winged Foot member, Trump once greeted him at the first tee by saying, \u201cYou see those two guys? They cheat. See me? I cheat. And I expect you to cheat, because we\u2019re going to beat those two guys today.\u201d<\/p>\n
To Trump, cheating wasn\u2019t the exception\u2014it was the strategy.<\/p>\n
Is It Really Cheating If Everyone Does It?
\nMarsal said something particularly revealing: Trump seems to believe that everyone cheats, and therefore, his own actions aren\u2019t unfair\u2014they\u2019re just part of the game.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo yes, it\u2019s true,\u201d Marsal confirmed, \u201che\u2019s going to cheat you. But I think Donald, in his heart of hearts, believes that you\u2019re going to cheat him, too.\u201d<\/p>\n
This mindset speaks volumes\u2014not just about Trump\u2019s golf habits, but possibly about how he views competition in general. If winning is the goal, and everyone else is bending the rules, why shouldn\u2019t he?<\/p>\n
The Denials and the Defense
\nNaturally, Trump\u2019s team has pushed back against the accusations. Campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung fired back at Rick Reilly in a 2024 interview, saying:<\/p>\n
\u201cRick fantasizes about having a golf game as good as President Trump. But instead of putting in the hard work to improve his s\u2014ty game, Rick allows his severe case of Trump Derangement Syndrome to completely take over his life.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cheung dismissed the claims as personal attacks from a jealous reporter. But Reilly wasn\u2019t alone in raising concerns.<\/p>\n
Even respected members of the golf community\u2014who otherwise avoid political drama\u2014have shared similar stories of Trump\u2019s questionable conduct on the course.<\/p>\n
And Reilly isn\u2019t pulling his punches. \u201cTrump cheats like a three-card Monte dealer,\u201d he wrote in Golf.com, \u201cthrows, boots, and moves the ball\u2026 and lies about his lies.\u201d<\/p>\n
A Man\u2019s Golf Game Says a Lot
\nGolf is often called a \u201cgentleman\u2019s game.\u201d The rules are based on honesty, integrity, and self-regulation. There are no referees following you around. It\u2019s just you, the ball, and your conscience.<\/p>\n
Which is why many believe a man\u2019s golf game reveals his character.<\/p>\n
If the stories about Trump\u2019s behavior are true, what does that say about the man? Not just on the golf course\u2014but in business, politics, and life?<\/p>\n
Does It Matter?
\nSome of Trump\u2019s supporters laugh off the allegations, calling them harmless or even endearing. They say Trump\u2019s golf \u201cantics\u201d are just part of his competitive spirit. That it\u2019s not real cheating\u2014it\u2019s just \u201cTrump being Trump.\u201d<\/p>\n
But to others, it\u2019s one more sign of a man who plays by his own rules, whether it\u2019s in real estate, politics\u2026 or a Sunday foursome at his own golf club.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not about the scorecard\u2014it\u2019s about honesty. And for many Americans, that still matters.<\/p>\n
Donald Trump may be known for his nicknames, but \u201cPele\u201d isn\u2019t one he chose for himself. It\u2019s a name whispered by caddies and murmured by fellow players\u2014an inside joke that reveals something deeper about the man behind the brand.<\/p>\n
Whether you find it funny or disturbing, one thing is certain: Trump\u2019s golf game tells a story. And for those who\u2019ve seen it firsthand, it\u2019s a story about power, control, and a desperate need to win\u2014at any cost.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Donald Trump is famous for handing out nicknames to his political rivals\u2014\u201cCrooked Hillary,\u201d \u201cSleepy Joe,\u201d and most recently, \u201cBirdbrain\u201d for Nikki Haley. Over the years, he\u2019s built… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10809","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"a3_pvc":{"activated":false,"total_views":0,"today_views":0},"yoast_head":"\n