The clubhouse of Trump National Golf Club is seen from the media van, Thursday, Aug. 9, 2018, Bedminster, N.J., before a President Donald Trump meets with state leaders about prison reform.(AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
BEDMINSTER, N.J. - President Donald Trump is spending the week at his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, but don't call it a vacation. He's mixing downtime and golf rounds with meetings and dinners, projecting the image that he's been hard at work while ensconced at the private club.
Trump and his aides have tried to say the time away from Washington is because of White House rehabilitation work, though no staffers had publicly mentioned that before his departure.
The effort underscores the president's concerns about public perceptions as he approaches having spent 150 days of his presidency at his golf properties.
And it shines a light on Trump National Golf Club Bedminster, which has a lower profile than his better-known Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.
President Donald Trump sits with first lady Melania Trump as he meets with business leaders, Tuesday, Aug. 7, 2018, at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, N.J. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
President Donald Trump looks to Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant, left, as he speaks during a meeting with state leaders about prison reform, Thursday, Aug. 9, 2018, at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, N.J. Also seated at the table from left, are Brooke Rollins, Assistant to the President for Strategic Initiatives, Secretary of Energy Rick Perry, Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin, and Georgia Governor Nathan Deal, right. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)