Trump golfs while nation declines

Like the decadent and ineffective Roman emperor Nero, who blithely played his lyre as Rome was destroyed by fire, our president plays golf at his private country clubs while our nation suffers from devastating fires and floods, mass shootings and attacks on our democracy by hostile foreign nations.

On June 2, our president showed up at an Evangelical church in Virginia with golf-hat hair and wearing his golf shoes to spend 11 minutes of mourning for those innocents slaughtered in the latest mass shooting.

The Republican standard-bearer thus far in his presidency has played golf 174 times at his resorts in Florida, New Jersey, California and Scotland. Our bone spur-afflicted commander-in-chief has averaged a round of golf every five days as he promotes his golf resorts. At this point in his presidency, President Obama had golfed 70 times, with 48 of those golf outings at U.S. military bases.

We taxpayers have paid $102 million, by conservative estimates, for our self-enriching president to play golf at his resorts.

During our president's visit to Europe, he is to meet with Ireland's prime minister. Our president had insisted the meeting take place at his golf resort in Ireland. The Irish prime minister refused to meet at our president's private golf club - Dromoland Castle is the usual site for presidential meetings. The compromise has the Irish prime minister and our president meeting at the airport, presumably after President Donald Trump has played a few rounds at his golf club.

Whether fiddling or golfing - a negligent, narcissistic leader forebodes great hardship for the people.

Jane Cox

Wheaton