President Trump claimed the United States is “better than ever” during a short speech he gave at the Presidents Cup golf tournament in a western suburb of Chicago on Sunday.
Trump was named honorary chairman of the tournament that took place at the Medinah Country Club over the weekend, and his appearance at the event drew increased security measures and large numbers of both protesters and supporters.
As he walked up to the mic, spectators at the club repeatedly chanted “USA.”
“You know, the fake news media will say I got a very bad reception,” Trump said at the start of his speech, eliciting laughs and cheers from the audience.
Trump then went on to say that he was asked to speak by Brian Rolapp, CEO of the PGA Tour, and originally said no.
“I said, ‘no, I don’t have the courage to make a speech.’ These people want to see golf, they don’t want to hear speeches,” Trump said. “I’ll only say this; our country is doing great — better than ever before. Now, I want to watch the greatest players in the world go out and play and play your hearts out. It’s going to be a very interesting day of golf. Thank you all, everybody. Thank you.”
Trump kept a close eye on the golfers during most of the tee offs, though not all earned a clap from him. He also signed a few hats while at the tournament and waved to cheering spectators.
While many cheers and claps were heard around the golf course during Trumps visit, boos were also frequently heard as every international player on the course on Sunday faced a round of boos as they came out.
The President’s comments come during a trade war with Canada that raised prices on a slew of products, and after months of record-high gas prices across the U.S. that were sent skyrocketing largely because of the ongoing conflict between the U.S. and Iran war that disrupted global oil supplies and shut down critical shipping routes like the Strait of Hormuz.
Hundreds of protesters lined the streets outside the golf tournament on Sunday, holding signs critical of Trump and his administration. Protesters called attention to the Epstein files and opposed ICE and the ongoing immigration crackdowns across the country, but it was rising costs that many were most vocal about.
“Working families are dealing with the issues of rising costs. These tariffs, this War, this presidency has been a nightmare for working families,” said Terrell Barnes, chair of the Bloomingdale Township Democrats.
Catty-corner to the protesters were a crowd of people who came out to show support for Trump.
“The Iran War had to happen, if we had let them have a nuclear bomb, god only knows what would have happened to us,” said Jeff Castle, secretary of the DuPage County GOP.
Protests also took place earlier in the weekend.
from NBC Chicago https://ift.tt/cAxR38d
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