How many times did Trump criticize Obama for playing golf?

1. A pattern of public attacks: how often Trump called out Obama

Reporting establishes a clear pattern: Trump repeatedly mocked and criticized Obama for golfing throughout Obama’s presidency and on the 2016 campaign trail. The Independent reports that Trump “went on to tweet about Mr Obama playing golf another 26 times,” and People catalogued frequent Trump tweets and campaign speeches accusing Obama of playing too much golf and taking too many vacations ^{[1] [2]}.

2. Campaign rhetoric and promises: “I’m not going to have time to go play golf”

Trump used Obama’s golfing as a foil during his 2015–2016 campaign, promising voters he would be different. Multiple outlets quote him saying, “I’m going to be working for you, I’m not going to have time to go play golf,” and he repeatedly framed Obama’s rounds as evidence of misplaced priorities ^{[2] [3]}.

3. Specific accusations and timing: crisis moments singled out

Trump didn’t only criticize overall golf frequency; he tied Obama’s golf rounds to specific crises. The Hill and other coverage cite tweets and speeches where Trump complained that Obama played “a little golf” or teed off amid serious news events, including outbreaks and foreign-policy incidents — an attack line later repeated in news analysis ^{[5] [3]}.

4. Quantifying the attacks: what the available sources say — and don’t

Available sources provide counts and examples but no single authoritative ledger listing every instance. The Independent’s tally of 26 tweets is one explicit number; People and CNN document frequent tweets, speeches and campaign lines but stop short of a comprehensive count ^{[1] [2] [3]}. Available sources do not mention a definitive total number of times Trump criticized Obama for golfing across all media and platforms.

5. The mirror image: reporting on Trump’s own golf habits

Later reporting contrasted Trump’s criticism with his own behavior as president. CNN and The Guardian note that Trump ultimately spent more time at golf clubs than Obama by comparable points in office, and outlets framed his earlier attacks as politically useful rhetoric that became politically costly as his own outings mounted ^{[3] [6]}.

6. Accusations of hypocrisy: how media and commentators framed it

When Trump golfed in contexts that drew criticism — for example during weather threats or public crises — anchors and columnists labeled the criticisms hypocritical and cited his prior Obama-focused remarks. Newsweek and other outlets quoted analysts calling out the inconsistency between his earlier criticisms and his conduct ^[4].

7. Broader context and competing perspectives

Some coverage treats presidential golf as routine exercise or normal downtime; Trump himself defended his golf as “exercise” and argued Obama played more and longer rounds without similar scrutiny ^[5]. Other outlets emphasized taxpayer costs and operational burdens tied to presidential travel for golf, shifting the discussion from presidential leisure to public expense ^{[7] [6]}.

8. What’s left unclear and why that matters

No source in the provided set compiles every tweet, speech, interview and social-posting instance into a single authoritative count, so any precise “how many times” figure would require primary-document aggregation beyond these reports. The Independent’s 26‑tweet figure offers a concrete example of frequency but is not presented as exhaustive ^[1]. Not found in current reporting: a definitive, comprehensive total that includes all platforms and formats.

Sources cited: People ^[2]; The Hill ^[5]; CNN ^[3]; The Independent ^[1]; Newsweek ^[4]; The Guardian ^[6]; Atlanta Black Star and others documenting later debates ^[7].