The Ryder Cup is traditionally a quiet affair, held up by traditional golf etiquette and a respectful atmosphere from fans. This was not so during the 2025 Ryder Cup. President Donald Trump was present, arriving with a flyover of Air Force One and leading the American fans in chants of “USA!” throughout the tournament.
Trump has a long history with sports, one that didn’t go away with his two elections to the presidency. Trump has a famously strained relationship with the NFL, attempting to buy an NFL team several times and being rejected at each turn. On the other hand, he has had a comparatively strong love of the sport of golf, owning 17 golf courses across the world.
Trump has issued three executive orders on sports in his second presidency: numbered 14201, 14322 and 14327. They respectively cover transgender women in sports, collegiate sports and the creation of a presidential council on fitness and the reestablishment of the Presidential Fitness Test.
KSC Director of Athletics Marty Testo said the executive orders haven’t affected Keene State yet. “So when an executive order comes out, follow it. So right now, that’s what we’re doing. We’re just going through, following it pretty much to the letter of the law as far as we can tell,” said Testo.
Assistant Athletic Director Abe Osheyack said the order was primarily focused on DI ‘Power Four’ conferences. “The trickle down effects into Division II and Division III aren’t often thought of, but there are many different types of proposed legislation out there right now that would have a primary effect on Division I, and I’m sure there are effects on Division II and Division III that people haven’t really considered,” said Osheyack.
Professor of Political Science Philip Barker says it’s normal for presidents to be active in sports, but the extent of Trump’s influence is unusual. “There’s a long history of presidents and sports, and I think that part of that is an intentional image that presidents try to put out there of being fit and athletic and capable, […] so I think Trump’s sort of ties to sports are not unprecedented. They are unprecedented [to] the extent; so the amount of time that he spends, for instance, playing golf, doing sort of sporting stuff is unusual,” said Barker.
Barker said he believes Trump’s behavior around sports reflects a wider shift in American culture. “Trump’s approach to golf is similar to Trump’s approach to life. Winning and the image are big things for him, right? Winning and what it looks like is more important than upholding the rules,” said Barker.
Frank LeBlanc can be contacted at
fleblanc@kscequinox.com
