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Donald Trump and his granddaughter arrived to a raucous reception at the Ryder Cup Friday morning after leaving tournament organizers on high alert amid a wave of fresh security fears surrounding his appearance at the prestigious golfing event.
Less than a week after the memorial for his close political ally Charlie Kirk, the president defiantly stepped into the limelight once again as he arrived at Bethpage Black in Farmingdale, New York.
The Republican, 79, has refused to be cowed in the wake of the death of the political commentator, who was shot dead at 31 during a Q&A session at Utah Valley University, ramping up his public appearances instead of scaling them back.
And Friday’s opening day of the Ryder Cup was no exception as Trump turned up to support America’s finest in their clash against holders Europe in the Battle of Bethpage.
Fresh off his 60-minute blistering address to the United Nations this week, Trump retreated to the suburbs of Long Island, where he was greeted by cries of ‘USA.’
Already wearing his golf shoes with his signature suit, Trump – joined by his 18-year-old granddaughter Kai – boarded Marine One on the White House lawn close to 10am ET to begin his journey to Bethpage.
Donald Trump and granddaughter Kai arrived at the Ryder Cup in Farmingdale, New York
The president flew in to Bethpage Black golf course from Washington DC on Friday morning
Trump took his place inside a box of perplex glass amid a wave of security fears at the event
He touched down at the iconic golf course just over an hour later and took center stage at the first tee for this afternoon’s session of matches between the USA and Europe, which will begin at 12:25pm ET.
He walked out onto the grandstand behind the first tee box to chats of ‘USA’ from the New York supporters in attendance. Trump greeted a line of dignitaries gathered on the platform as Kai whipped up the American-heavy crowd before the duo took their position inside a glass for the national anthem.
The president will be hoping to inspire his American team to a better performance than this morning’s disastrous display.
Team USA, led by captain Keegan Bradley, endured a nightmare opening session as the Europeans stormed to a commanding 3-1 lead. Bradley certainly believed the president could rally his side to a comeback.
‘We’ve just had the President fly over on Air Force One, I have a feeling things are about to turn here,’ Bradley said on USA Network’s broadcast shortly after Air Force One flew over Bethpage at around 11:05am ET.
And the US captain fully embraced the president’s attendance performing the ‘Trump dance’ – the arm-jerking, hip-shimmying movements made popular during Trump’s presidential campaign last year – in front of the Commander-in-Chief on the first tee.
Overnight a protective box of perplex glass had been erected at center of the lowest tier of the towering grandstand that looms over the first tee and neighboring 18th green. The president soaked up the action from the shielded area just 20 feet away from the players’ entrance tunnel.
Earlier in the morning, snipers had climbed to the top section of the stand, which has been blocked off to spectators and media members today, to take their position ahead of Trump’s arrival.
The president greeted a line of dignitaries as he arrived at the first tee grandstand
The Europeans, including Rory McIlroy, stormed into a commanding lead in the morning
US snipers prepare to take their position at the top of the first tee grandstand
State troopers and secret service agents patrolled the restricted area with bomb sniffer dogs
The glass structure isn’t the only new addition to the Bethpage stage. TSA-level security checkpoints manned by secret service agents have been set up on each side of the clubhouse and first tee area.
The tight security measures applied to everyone attempting to access the area, including a member of medical staff who attempted to respond to a medical emergency in the clubhouse. Secret service agents prohibited him from entering with his medical kit as he tried to rush to the rescue of the injured until an official in Team USA uniform instructed them to let him pass.
Once through the checks, more agents swarm the entrances to the gallery with bomb sniffing dogs.
Ryder Cup officials had feared a repeat of the chaos that shook the US Open men’s final in nearby Queens earlier this month. The showdown between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannick Sinner had to be postponed for half an hour due to the extra security protocols preventing fans from making a timely entrance into Arthur Ashe Stadium.
His presence at Bethpage has also added an extra layer of complication to the already vast security measures in place at the sporting spectacle.
Drones, bomb-disposal dogs as well as chemical, biological and radiological units have descended on the golf course, where spectators have had to pay an eye-watering $749.51 for entry.
Further ‘enhanced security measures’ were announced on Wednesday morning, warning spectators of the bedlam that Trump’s arrival is expected to herald.
A string of items have been banned from ‘the first tee grandstand or clubhouse area,’ where Trump is expected to watch over the first day of action.
Spectators had to pass through TSA-style security at the main gate and the first tee
Ahead of the arrival of President Trump, a host of items usually permitted at major events have been banned
The Ryder Cup superstore had to pull its $275 rangefinders off the shelves on Friday
Range finders have been stripped from the shelves in the merchandise megastore for the day and are slated to return when doors open again on Saturday morning.
Fans have also been barred from bringing the golf gadget, which are routinely used by golfers to estimate the distance between the ball and the pin, into the event.
Back in July 2024, the security services reportedly flagged a man using a range finger to the US Secret Service around 20 minutes before Trump was shot at a rally in Pennsylvania
Other items prohibited from Friday’s opening session include portable folding chairs, torch-style lighters and large vaping devices.
Laptops and tablets are also barred from the course, while ‘all bags, personal items and their contents may be subject to inspection.’ The use of umbrellas, meanwhile, ‘may be restricted in certain areas of the course and main grandstand,’ with ponchos ‘strongly encouraged’.
Trump is no stranger to golf tournaments, having stolen the show at several events on the breakaway LIV Golf circuit hosted at his Trump National golf courses in New Jersey, Virginia and Miami in recent years.
However, the Ryder Cup marks his first public appearance at a professional tournament since his return to the White House.
Trump’s appearance comes in the same week that his would-be assassin, Ryan Routh, was found guilty on all charges related to the 2024 plot to kill the then-presidential candidate ahead of last November’s election.
Trump was shot during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, back in July 2024
Earlier this month, Trump attended the New York Yankees game where he addressed players
President Donald Trump’s presence at the US Open men’s final caused chaos for fans
Routh, 59, was caught by authorities during a manhunt in Palm Beach last September after Secret Service agents spotted him in some bushes outside of one of Trump’s golf courses as the Republican played a round.
Chaos ran rampant in the Florida courtroom when Routh began stabbing at his neck with a pen after the verdict was read out.
Routh’s plot to assassinate the would-be-president was just one of two attempts made on Trump’s life during his 2024 presidential campaign. Trump narrowly avoided taking a bullet to the neck during an open-air rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Given the record of assassination attempts against Trump and the recent fatal shooting of Kirk, the enhanced Ryder Cup security procedures are highly unsurprising.
