CBS, NBC Rage Over Trump’s ‘Outrageous’ ‘Mortal Sin’ on Golf Course

Newsbusters.org ^ | June 23, 2017 | Scott Whitlock

[Kaslin]

The journalists at CBS and NBC have found a new Donald Trump “outrage” to hyperventilate over: The President drove his golf cart onto a green at one of the courses he owns. This, according to CBS This Morning guest host David Westin, is a “mortal sin.” Today's Matt Lauer insisted he was “gasping” over video of Trump. 

On CBS, co-host Norah O’Donnell huffed, “Well, golf is a sport of etiquette, but President Trump appears to have committed a golfing sin.” Continuing the religious language, unusual for liberal journalists, Westin excoriated, “This is a mortal sin, actually, if you're a golfer. A mortal sin.” 

CBS, NBC Meltdown Over Trump’s ‘Outrageous’ ‘Mortal Sin’ on Golf Course

A mortal sin? Even as a joke, this type of language is way over the top. Over on NBC’s Today, Lauer mentioned the story at 7am as the show opened. He hyped, “A golden rule of golf broken. You won't believe who is behind the wheel today.” 

A minute later, he marveled, “As a golfer, I'm gasping over that last story. But I'll save my outrage.” Later in the 7am hour, Lauer returned to the story, still annoyed: “That's not good. That really isn't good. It's a nice golf course, by the way, but to take a heavy golf cart and to ride right across the green, that just breaks every rule of golf.” 

CBS This Morning devoted 41 seconds to freaking out over Trump’s golf cart error. That was just four seconds less than a movie star jokingly encouraging the assassination of the President. Talk about misplaced priorities.  

Transcripts are below: 

CBS This Morning 6/23/17 7:30am ET

NORAH O’DONNELL: Well, golf is a sport of etiquette, but President Trump appears to have committed a golfing sin. Yep, he's driving a golf cart on a putting green. The President will probably get a pass. He owns the Bedminster course. I think that's a violation that can usually get you kicked out of a particular club.

DAVID WESTIN (Bloomberg/CBS guest host): No kidding. This is a mortal sin, actually, if you're a golfer. A mortal sin.

GAYLE KING: David, as Norah knows, I don't play golf. But I’m thinking, are golfers just clutching their pearls? You’re looking at that going, “No!”

O’DONNELL: Yes. Yes, they are

KING: But he owns the course. Does that matter?

O’DONNELL: Well, it’s the green. They are expensive to upkeep

WESTIN: Imagine what the green keepers are thinking.

O’DONNELL: They’re the ones that are really —

KING: They’re really clutching their pearls.

Today 6/23/17 7am

MATT LAUER: A golden rule of golf broken. You won’t believe who is behind the wheel today.

7:01

LAUER: As a golfer, I’m gasping over that last story. But I’ll save my outrage for later.

7:51

MATT LAUER: All right. I need a moment. Dylan's over in the orange room with a story that pains me as a fan of the sport of golf. Dylan?

SAVANNAH GUTHRIE: It's all right.

DYLAN DREYER: I'm right there with you, Matt. We all know that President Trump loves the game of golf. He owns nearly 20 golf courses and has held countless tournaments so you would think that he would know the game's etiquette pretty well. Well, a newly surfaced video begs to differ. We have to warn you, for golfers out there, this may disturb you.

So, take a look at this. Driving all over the green at Trump National Golf Club in new Jersey. That is a major no-no for anyone who knows the game and as you can imagine, the reaction online to this video is a mash-up of sports etiquette and politics. So let's dig right in. Chris writes, “This is unacceptable, driving on the green. Sad.” While Aaron tweets, “He owns the course, he can drive wherever he wants on it.” Makes a good point there. Brian writing, “I don't golf and even I know that's not acceptable” and even some Trump supporters saying, “This is the first thing President Trump has done that I didn't like. I feel guilty even walking on the green sometimes. How do you guys feel about this?

LAUER: Yeah, that's not good. That really isn't good. It's a nice golf course, by the way, but to take a heavy golf cart and to ride right across the green, that just breaks every rule of golf.

[Vendome]

Kings and Lions do whatever they damn well want to.

It’s his golf course...

[windsorknot]

DT will be grilled about this at the next press conference.

[Canedawg]

I think we’re all tired of this continuous whining by liberals. They’re such babies.

+1

[Ouderkirk]

it’s only a rule when you don;t own the place...

you own it you can do whatever you want

[N. Theknow]

Guess no one has ever seen a machine mowing a green.

[tx_eggman]

He's on the fringe, he didn't drive over the green

Everyone seems to be missing that .. there is a fairly clear line between the (well manicured) fringe and the putting surface ... he never crosses it.

[BatGuano]

I like Peach Ice Cream and will have two scoops too.

Prefer Coffee Ice Cream. Second would be Mint Chocolate Chip....

These ass hats who call for Trump’s life after his horrible act of driving on a green should see the mowers in action!!
Every EFFIN DAY!

[plain talk]

Winners

Losers

[Tucker39]

Beautiful! This will have many times the impact and legs that COVFEFE had. (Snicker-snort)!

[Grimmy]

Hemidemisemimale...
____________________________________

Stick a sorta in there somewhere and I do believe all bases are covered.

[Jimmy The Snake]

Obama never got the ball on the green from a distance, therefore no photo of him driving the cart near the green

[ghost of nixon]

to take a heavy golf cart and to ride right across the green, that just breaks every rule of golf.

I mowed greens at a golf course several summers - the mowing equipment we drove over the greens weighed a lot more than a golf cart, and the mower has similar tires.

[RipSawyer]

Some claim that much of human illness is caused by NEVER walking barefoot outside. Grounding is what they call it, saying that you need to be grounded to the Earth to dissipate electrical charges that cause illness.

[Vermont Lt]

Most people know better. He plays enough golf that he knows better.

On the other hand, if this was common practice, you would have heard about it. Plus he owns the place.

Is it a crime or is Demeanor? Nah.

[thulldud]

Hemidemisemimale...

Sounds like something out of a music book.

How many "flags" on that "staff"? (Goes by too fast for me to count.)

[RipSawyer]

“He built a regulation green with sand bunkers next to the carriage house on our farm...”

Wow, the closest thing we ever had to a carriage house was a couple of sheds that housed our Studebaker one horse wagon and a two horse wagon.

[CharlesWayneCT]

This is hilarious.

Of course you don’t drive your golf carts on the green, there are rules because if golf carts were driving on the greens all day they’d damage the greens.

And you wouldn’t do it in a professional game, because, well, you don’t get to drive golf carts if you are ACTUALLY PLAYING THE GAME — unless you can get some court to rule that walking isn’t part of the game.

And when it rains, you can’t take the carts on the fairway, again because of damage.

I imagine that whereever Trump is actually driving that cart (looks like the fringe to me, or else that is one hilariously LARGE green), he isn’t doing any damage. He’s 70 years old and under secret service protection, so I imagine they prefer he be driving up to his ball whenever he can.

[AngelesCrestHighway]

Trump golf cart road rage drives media nuts...? LMAO!!!

[jimtorr]

I spent two years working as an asst. greens-keeper at an Oregon Country Club. We installed automatic sprinklers on the fringes of the greens in those years. I drove heavier vehicles than a golf cart on the greens.

No damage or even tire tracks if the green is dry and firm.

[AngelesCrestHighway]