"She is a platinum blonde geyser of positivity, there to buck him up when the going gets rough."

I'm reading "'With All My Heart, Natalie.' Trump’s Most Devoted Aide Emerges. President Trump’s White House aide Natalie Harp is always by his side. What, exactly, does she do?" by Shawn McCreesh and Maggie Haberman, in the NYT (gift link).

They're talking about Natalie Harp because"she was chosen to join the president on the secret food-delivery-truck rescue gambit" and because Senator Jon Ossoff, a potential Democratic Party nominee for President, observed, "[Trump] doesn’t want to do the job. He wants to build his ballroom and travel with Natalie on their apparently defenseless flying palace gifted by the emir of Qatar.'"

The Times article also refers to Harp as a "sylphlike woman."

The quote "With all my heart, Natalie" — seen in the article headline is the sign-off of a letter Harp wrote to Trump in which she apologized for attracting press coverage as she walked a golf course as Trump played golf and, naturally, used a golf cart. I guess that looked foolish to some observers looking for one more thing to revile. I haven't read about the incident, but I suspect she wanted the exercise. I've walked golf courses as a spectator. It's normal for spectators to walk.

"The letter goes on to say: 'I want things to always be right between us. I also know I’ve been distracted all week (forgetting to eat throughout the days, and even forgetting to sleep, and only catching a couple hours at a time).'"

Fish swallows golf ball.

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The London Times reports: "Charl Schwartzel of South Africa had to take a one-stroke penalty after his attempt on the 134-yard par-three 7th at Trump Bedminster ended up in the water, and was swiftly swooped upon by a resident fish."

"[Jill] Biden is a longtime English professor who casually uses the correct group noun for starlings ('murmuration')."

"She quotes many writers here — Albert Camus, Robert Frost, Nikki Giovanni, James Salter — but the author the book recalled most vividly to me, in its careful catalog of small details, was William Carlos Williams, who in his epic poem 'Paterson' wrote 'no ideas but in things.' This tracks, because Biden acknowledges the help of Ada Calhoun, the author of [a book] about Frank O’Hara. Indeed, Biden’s description of being hustled for security reasons through the service entrance to hotels made my O’Hara stand on end, so cleanly could it be broken into stanzas, if you’ll forgive the liberty: 'right by garbage cans/ reeking of rotting room service leftovers/mixed with discarded mini shampoos/ — an odor so sour and pungent/that it almost knocks you down.'"

So writes Alexandra Jacobs in "Jill Biden’s New Memoir Shows Off a Sharp Eye, if Not a Sharp Elbow/Beyond a few pointed digs at her husband’s successor, 'View From the East Wing' largely sticks to the head-spinning details of first lady-hood" (NYT).

Speaking of "no ideas but in things," we're told that, in her new memoir, her second, Jill Biden "marvels at the perks of the office, the masses of flowers, attentive staff and fine art, such as 'Morning on the Seine, Good Weather,' the oil painting that Angela Merkel said Trump called 'my Monet.' ('Our Monet,' Biden corrects, meaning the American people’s.)"

I looked it up. Here's "Our Monet":

According to The White House Historical Association's Facebook page: "On December 4, 1963, the family of John F. Kennedy donated the painting 'A Morning on the Seine; Good Weather' to the White House collection in memory of the late president." That was 2 weeks after the assassination. I'm only noticing this painting now, because I'm reading about Jill and Donald verbalizing possessively about it. And now I feel as though I can see, in that fuzzy image, 2 profiles yelling at each other. And both look like Trump.

Oh! The derangement! An odor so sour and pungent....

ADDED: Did Trump say "my Monet"? It's hearsay — at least double hearsay. Jill Biden is asserting that Angela Merkel said that Trump said something. There's room for mishearing, misquoting, misinterpreting, and lying from Merkel (supposedly hearing Trump) and Biden (supposedly hearing Merkel) and from anyone else who's passed this statement along.

Interestingly, Trump has used the phrase "my Monet," but not to refer to an artwork by Claude Monet. Trump has called one of his golf courses "my Monet": "I have friends who buy Monets. Turnberry is my Monet and it’s far more beautiful." But that quote too is hearsay. Eric Trump wrote it in a book, it says here: "Donald Trump: Turnberry is my Monet — and it’s more beautiful/US president ‘obsessed’ with details about his golf courses in Scotland and continually makes suggestions to improve them, according to his son Eric’s book" (London Times).

Googling for more reporting of Trump's use of the phrase "my Monet," I got a good laugh:

 

I'd like to hear the "Apprentice" theme song with "Monet!" taking the place of "Money!":

"Rory wins again…I think. CBS missed the last 4 shots. I guess that’s what happens when you have one camera covering the course and the rest pointing at teenagers watching the broadcast in Ireland."

One fan posted, quoted in "CBS bashed for botching Rory McIlroy’s Masters-winning shots" (NY Post).

"Many of them say they can eat nothing but GariGarikun"/"If they can enjoy the last mouthful, it will be a special moment shared by them and their families."

I'm quoting a Japanese nurse and doctor who work in palliative care, quoted in "GariGarikun ice pop, a surprise hit among the terminally ill."

That's published in Asahi Shimbun, one of the largest newspapers in Japan, which I went to read this morning because I wanted to see how much Japanese people were enjoying the excellence of Shohei Ohtani in our World Series. But nothing about Ohtani is in the top 10 most-read stories over there. I had to scroll down the front page to find his name, and it was tucked away in the sports section, just the AP report, here.

Nearly dead people eating popsicles got more attention. It was the second-most-read article. Meanwhile, the top of the front page is dominated by Trump:

Which one of those things is not like the others? Abe, yes. But also "Bear roams central Morioka, fatal attacks elsewhere."

"I hope they don’t do all these protests because I’ll be raging. I want him welcomed. I like Big Donald."

Said Irene Wright, 66, "a retired council worker from Glasgow," quoted in "Turnberry locals on Trump: We love ‘Big Donald’ and his $50 tips/Donald Trump will stop by his Scottish golf courses on a ‘private visit’ this weekend. Despite the protests, many Ayrshire residents are happy to see him" (London Times).

Trump bought the Turnberry golf course and hotel in 2014, saving it from what one local described as the threat of “rack and ruin.” Most locals know a family or friend who is employed by the resort.

Tam Cuthill, 63, from Kirkoswald, worked as a greenkeeper at Turnberry for 38 years.... “It’s one of them ones, it’s 50/50, you either love or hate him,” he said.... “I never found anything wrong with him as such.... He certainly didn’t commit to saying anything bad or anything like that, he’s more likely to shake your hand.”

Charming turns of phrase. I'd go to Scotland to hear more of them but I'm imagining not understanding a word they say. I wonder how much of Trump's interesting speech idiosyncrasies have to do with Scotland, the place of his mother's birth.

About that free jet, let me tell you about Sam Snead.... He was a great golfer....

REPORTER: What do you say to people who view that luxury jet as a personal gift to you?

TRUMP: You're ABC fake news, right? Let me tell you -- you should be embarrassed asking that question. They're giving us a free jet ... when they give you a putt, you pick it up and you walk… pic.twitter.com/dP2EJHYkcy

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) May 12, 2025

For the Annals of Bad Analogies.

AND: Speaking of bad analogies, remember when France gave us the Statue of Liberty?

"Can you do me a favor? Can you stop scattering your dearly departed’s ashes all over my favorite golf course?"

"I want to play Pebble Beach, not your grandpa. For that matter, stop dumping your meemaw’s sandy 'cremains' on Disneyland rides. Last year, somebody on Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance pulled the stunt, forcing the ride’s shutdown for cleaning. What are parents in the next car supposed to tell the kids when a cloud of human ash hits them in the face? Luke, that is not your father...."

From "Please. Stop. Spreading. Human. Ash. In. Public. With a huge rise in cremation rates, a sentimental ritual is turning into a gritty scourge" (WaPo)(free-access link, because it's full of amusing/horrible details).

Can we also stop saying "cremains"? I see the author put the term in scare quotes and the word "ash" is in the headline. I object to "cremains." The word, according to the OED, only dates back to 1950, and it seems to have been concocted like the name of a snack food. For example, Funyuns = fun + onions. Wouldn't it be more respectful to say "ashes"? Or do we think that "ashes" suggests the soft silky material left after a wood fire and thus has a whiff of false advertising?

"Harris had roundabout answers to open-ended questions."

That's the first of the 3 — only 3? it's usually 5 — "takeaways" offered by the NYT in "3 Takeaways From Kamala Harris’s Interview on MSNBC." 

The piece, by Reid J. Epstein, is subtitled "In her first one-on-one cable TV interview since becoming the nominee, the vice president repeatedly dodged direct questions and stuck firmly on message." That is harsh, but I have to assume it's written tactfully. (And I did try to watch it myself.)

Fleshing out "takeaway" #1, Epstein writes: "Ms. Harris responded to the fairly basic and predictable questions with roundabout responses that did not provide a substantive answer."

The other 2 "takeaways" are: "She avoided a looming scenario: What if Democrats lose the Senate?" and "A hard-hitting Harris interview is still yet to come." Sorry, I think #3 repeats #1. And though #2 looks specific, it's just specific about the same generality that constitutes ##1 and 3: She didn't say anything of substance.

And this was with what Epstein called a "friendly inquisitor" — Stephanie Ruhle — on a "liberal cable channel whose viewers overwhelmingly favor Democratic candidates" — MSNBC. It was "roughly in the same ballpark as Mr. Trump having one of his regular chats with Sean Hannity of Fox News."

"I'm officially offering Joe the chance to redeem himself in front of the entire world.... Let's do another debate this week..."

"... so that Sleepy Joe Biden can prove to everyone all over the world that he has what it takes to be president. But this time it will be man to man — no moderators, no holds barred. Just name the place — anytime, anywhere. And in the debate, Sleepy Joe also declared that he wanted to test his skills and stamina against mine on the golf course. (Can you believe this? Did you ever see him swing? He's like
this.) That's why this evening I am also... officially challenging Crooked Joe to an 18-hole golf match — right here, on Doral's Blue Monster, considered one of the greatest tournament golf courses anywhere in the world one of the Great Courses of the world. It will be among the most watched sporting events in history maybe bigger than the Ryder Cup or even the Masters, and I will even give Joe Biden 10 strokes a side — 10 strokes, that's a lot, that means 20 strokes, in case you don't play golf —I will give him 10 strokes a side, and if he wins, I will give the charity of his choice any charity that he wants $1 million, and I'll bet you he doesn't take the offer, I would bet, because he's all talk, but what that match will do is prove that Joe is in fact all talk and no action...."

That's talk from Donald Trump, at the Doral golf resort in Florida, which he owns.

"[Trump] was such a bro and so cool and so with it. I think he's... upper 70s. I couldn't believe how smart and sharp the guy was."

Said UFC Fighter Bo Nickal, about golfing with Trump:

MUST WATCH: UFC Fighter Bo Nickal tells Joe Rogan about the time he went golfing with President Trump at Bedminster. pic.twitter.com/bSiwhHJO3a

— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) December 22, 2023

I'm just exploring why "Joe Rogan" is trending on X. There's also this, with Tim Dillon, discussing how much Hunter Biden has gotten away with:

Legendary comedian @TimJDillon just went on Joe Rogan and brought the most brutal impromptu roast of Hunter Biden:

"He has videos of himself smoking crack with Ukrainian hookers with guns to their heads...Anyone's life's ruined with one of the videos on his laptop." pic.twitter.com/Rm56OWjwST

— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) December 21, 2023

There's also Joe attributing a Trump glitch to Biden — quickly corrected and probably caused by a video clip where Biden is quoting Trump:

Oh my God. Joe Rogan tried to say Biden is unqualified by claiming he said something that TRUMP said.

He got fact checked in real time. This is amazing.

(h/t @Mediaite) pic.twitter.com/qlY9xvPhOS

— No Lie with Brian Tyler Cohen (@NoLieWithBTC) December 22, 2023

"Donald Trump... is $300 million shy of the cutoff for The Forbes 400 ranking of America’s richest people..."

"... the annual measurement that Trump has obsessed over for decades, relentlessly lying to reporters to try to vault himself higher on the list. His net worth is down more than $600 million from a year ago. The biggest reason: Truth Social, his social-media business.... Trump’s 90% stake in Truth Social’s parent company has plummeted in value from an estimated $730 million to less than $100 million. Also in trouble: his office buildings, which are down by an estimated $170 million. The majority of that decline comes from 555 California Street, a 1.8 million square-foot complex in the heart of San Francisco, where Trump holds a 30% stake.... The problem is not the property’s performance to date... but... its outlook for the future.... The neighborhood around the building is also struggling.... There is a bright spot in Trump’s portfolio. As fewer people spend time in the office, more are goofing off on the golf course...."

From "Donald Trump Drops Off The Forbes 400 For Second Time In 3 Years" (Forbes).

Here's the Forbes 400. Nice illustration at the top of the page.

How does Forbes know so much? Trump's on trial — a trial that needs to go on for months — over what he's worth.

Ron Johnson said that word that can get you in so much trouble: "purity."

I'm reading a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel article that begins: "U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson has one main concern when it comes to the merger of the PGA Tour and the Saudi-backed LIV Golf series: maintaining what he calls the 'purity' of golf."

What? Is that racist?! That's the static I had in my head as I read through many paragraphs before I could see the actual quote that contained that word, "purity":

"PGA Tour agrees to merge with Saudi-backed LIV Golf."

WaPo reports.

The stunning announcement came amid litigation between LIV and the PGA Tour, which both had filed lawsuits against the other. In August, LIV Golf filed an antitrust suit saying the tour — by banning players who had defected to LIV — was intentionally trying to curtail competition, but the PGA Tour countered with a lawsuit that claims LIV committed “tortious interference” by encouraging golfers to violate terms of their existing tour contracts.

"Climate activists in southern France have filled golf course holes with cement to protest against the exemption of golf greens from water bans..."

"... amid the country's severe drought.... Golf officials say greens would die in three days without water. 'A golf course without a green is like an ice-rink without ice,' Gérard Rougier of the French Golf Federation told the France Info news website.... In a petition, the activists said the exemption showed that 'economic madness takes precedence over ecological reason.' While residents cannot water their gardens or wash their cars in the worst-hit municipalities, golf courses have escaped the nationwide restrictions."

BBC reports.

Why is it funny to ask pro golfers what they think of the breakup of Kim Kardashian and Pete Davidson?

Last night, I linked to this TikTok video (as one of 9 TikTok videos that amused me).

The commenter Wilbur politely requested an explanation:

AA, if I may directly pose you a question: What was it about the pro golfer TikTok that you found amusing? Not criticizing your choice, just curious as to what I missed. 

I'm not a KK hater, although I've never heard of Pete Davidson. It came across as wholly mundane to Wilbur, not even sarcastic. I suspect the question would elicit the same reactions from people across most segments of the population.

Because the request was so respectful, I decided to try to spell it out what had been, for me, an instinctive reaction:

"They’re scary motherf-----s to get involved with. We know they killed [Khashoggi] and have a horrible record on human rights."

"They execute people over there for being gay. Knowing all of this, why would I even consider it? Because this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reshape how the PGA Tour operates." 

Said Phil Mickelson, quoted in "Dustin Johnson quits PGA, joins Phil Mickelson on Saudi-backed tour" (WaPo).

Trump would like you to know he hit a hole-in-one... and Ernie Els was there.

Before you all ask, yes, this is real. pic.twitter.com/AFQjGo3ojU

— Justin Baragona (@justinbaragona) March 28, 2022

Comparing what happened to Simone Biles to a golfer getting the "yips."

I'm seeing this comparison all over the place, but I'll just quote this, which came in the email after one of the several posts I'd written about Biles. 

A reader named Leland wrote: 

Hi Althouse— great golfers often get the yips, the inability to execute the movements necessary to strike the ball—which is just sitting there, isn’t it—in a way necessary to get it in the hole. Tom Watson and Ben Hogan are examples of Greats who lost the ability to make short putts. Ian Baker Finch lost his game completely. Baseball players can get the yips, too—think of Chuck Knobloch and Steve Sax, who suddenly couldn’t control short throws to first. Simone Biles, after years of performing at the highest level, has got the yips. I give her high marks for honesty and realism in this moment. It is startling to see it happen at the Olympics when she was doing the impossible earlier this year, but this is a story familiar to anyone who follows golf or baseball.

Maybe there are some similarities. Who understands the mysteries of the connection between the mind and the body and what happens in the cases of the most accomplished and focused human beings?

But I just want to sketch out the differences:

1. Professional golfers are mature adults. Women's gymnastics is a girls' sport. Little girls are selected and trained, their body and mind are shaped to this performance. At adulthood, the body is past peak for gymnastics purposes, and the mind, still growing into maturity, has new reason to surge past the gymnastics-specific format that had been drummed into the girl since early childhood.

2. Unlike golf, gymnastics is extremely dangerous, and the mind must not interfere with the task. Unlike the "yips" in golf, a normal mind in an adult body rationally rebels against the demands of gymnastics. The yips are interesting because they happen when the thing that needs to be done is easy.

3. Professional golfers own themselves. They are independent contractors, entering tournaments in the hope of winning big money. The stakes affect the mind, and it's tough to control, and sometimes something called the "yips" intrudes. But it's the pressure, not any danger, that leads to a mind-body screwup, and the golfer has absolute confidence that it's all worth it for that money that will be his if he prevails. The worst that can happen is that he goes home with a lot less money (or no money at all). But the young gymnast is in it because adults trained and encouraged her. Their ambitions are mixed up with hers in a complex way, and they've led her down a very dangerous path. She hasn't owned herself, and she doesn't get a direct and huge payout for her performance on any given day. Yes, there is an amorphous economic reward in the future. But it's not the golfer's immediate this-for-that.

"Jon Rahm walked off the 18th green after tying the 54-hole record and building a six-shot lead... Moments later, he was doubled over and saying: 'Not again'..."

"... having been notified he had tested positive for the coronavirus and consequently was out of the tournament. A commanding performance, which included a hole-in-one Saturday morning to complete his second round followed by an eight-under 64 to tie two Memorial records, went to waste. The PGA Tour said the Spaniard had come into close contact with a person who was Covid-19 positive, meaning Rahm could play provided he was tested daily. Every test since he arrived Monday came back negative except the one after his second round, which was completed on Saturday morning. The positive test was confirmed as Rahm was playing the 18th hole, knowing nothing except that no one was close to him on the leaderboard. 'This is one of those things that happens in life, one of those moments where how we respond to a setback defines us as people,' Rahm said in a statement he posted to Twitter."

 The Guardian reports.

You see him receiving the news in the video below. The amount of money he's losing there is $1.7 million. The announcers don't know what the bad news is, only that he's reacting to bad news (which makes you think about how much worse news can be): 

Surreal TV moment as six-stroke leader Jon Rahm learns he tested positive for COVID and Jim Nantz tries to make sense of it without knowing what Rahm's been told pic.twitter.com/WvD6LmAlxs

— Timothy Burke (@bubbaprog) June 5, 2021