Lexi Thompson Driven Off Social Media After ‘Hurtful’ Backlash For Golfing With Donald Trump
After playing golf with President Donald Trump and conservative commentator Rush Limbaugh, LPGA pro Lexi Thompson received a wave of social media backlash. The backlash was so great — per The New York Post — that Thompson has decided to go dark for a while, saying so in a recent Instagram post.
“Hey everybody, just want to say I will be taking a break from social media. If I post it will be from my management team for me. I’m too involved with it, and to read some of the hurtful things being said to me lately isn’t fair and I’m not dealing with it.”
Thompson, whose full first name is Alexis, thanked her “true fans.” She elaborated to say that the break is temporary, but necessary to focus on the important things in her life at the moment.
The 24-year-old had a golf outing with Trump and Limbaugh at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach last week. Prior to this outing, Thompson had played golf with the president on many occasions, many times hitting the green with Trump before he won the 2016 presidential election.
Some of Thompson’s followers responded with comments of support, including Olympian Monica Aksamit.
“Don’t let the internet trolls get you down girl! It’s easy for people to have opinions and voicing them from behind a little screen.”
“F the haters. you are incredible Lexi,” another fan remarked.
"I’m too involved with it, and to read some of the hurtful things being said to me lately isn’t fair and I’m not dealing with it."
Lexi Thompson announced Saturday night that she will be taking a social media break: https://t.co/WBLwJZumuV pic.twitter.com/78Ork3fNgL
— Golf Channel (@GolfChannel) April 28, 2019
Thompson is currently ranked eighth in the LPGA, and previously talked to Golf Digest about playing golf with the president — both before and after his inauguration.
“I’m not into politics, so honestly I can’t even ask him anything,” the pro golfer told interviewers.
As The Inquisitr reported, Trump has come under fire for his frequent golf trips, trips which are funded — in part — by public coffers. As of April, Trump has allegedly spent almost $100 million on the outings, something which has led to backlash — particularly given the president’s frequent attacks on Barack Obama for having frequently golfed during his respective presidency. Adding fuel to the fire, Trump had previously said — during the 2016 presidential campaign — that he would be too busy to golf if he won the election.
In terms of how much each golf trip costs taxpayers, estimates vary. But in a recent report, the Government Accountability Office said that Trump’s trips cost $3.4 million each in travel and security costs. And unlike Obama, who often golfed at military bases at Andrews Air Force Base and Fort Belvoir, Trump opts instead to golf at his company’s properties.
According to the website Trump Golf Count, the president has logged 173 golf trips costing taxpayers approximately $99 million. But MSNBC producer Kyle Griffin claims that Trump has actually been on 184 golf trips, for an estimated total cost of more than $100 million.
