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By Gabrielle Healy April 6, 2017
Back to Not take vacations

Despite trips to Mar-a-Lago, too soon to call trips 'vacations'

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and President Donald Trump playing golf in Palm Beach, Fla. (Creative Commons) Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and President Donald Trump playing golf in Palm Beach, Fla. (Creative Commons)

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and President Donald Trump playing golf in Palm Beach, Fla. (Creative Commons)

Since taking the oath of office on Jan. 20, President Donald Trump has visited his Palm Beach resort Mar-a-Lago six times.

With his trips attracting significant media coverage, many readers have asked us to rate the president on his campaign promise to "not be a president who took vacations."

Rating this promise is tricky, because it hinges on the definition of a "vacation." Is the president taking time off while he's in Palm Beach? Or is he doing the same work there that he does in Washington?

The line between vacation and work in this case is more fuzzy than clear.

Presidential aides have been cagey about Trump's schedule while spending time at Mar-a-Lago and other properties he owns. For instance, his communications office has sent some mixed messages about how much time Trump is spending on his golf game.

We reached out to the White House for clarification but didn't hear back. So we looked at some of the activities we do know about.

• Trump attended the Red Cross Ball, a fundraiser which was held at the resort on Feb. 4.

• He hosted Shinzo Abe, the Japanese prime minister and his wife, Akie Abe, during a weekend in mid February. On Feb. 11 during Abe's visit, officials told Trump during dinner that North Korea tested a ballistic missile. Trump worked out his response in view of the other diners, a highly unusual move.  

• He played a full round of golf with pro Rory McIlroy and Clear Sports CEO Garry Singer on Feb. 19. The president also announced the appointment of Army Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster as his  national security adviser in a brief appearance with reporters during that weekend.

• He visited a Catholic school near Orlando to discuss education reform before going to a Republican fundraising dinner on March 3.

• He was scheduled to host Chinese President Xi Jinping at Mar-a-Lago for a U.S.-China summit starting on April 6.

Administration officials such as Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross have also been spotted at Mar-a-Lago.

Trump also has been playing golf at his properties close to home.

He played with Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., and Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney on April 2 at Trump National Golf Course in Potomac Falls, Va., according to CNN. That outing represented his 14th trip to one of his courses since taking office.

White House press secretary Sean Spicer said that Trump has discussed using games of golf to build relationships with policy makers and foreign leaders.  ​

What these bits of information about Trump's activities suggest is that he has been combining work with play. That's hardly unprecedented for a president -- his predecessor, Barack Obama, played a lot of golf with administration officials and others during his tenure. The main difference is that Trump has spent more time at Mar-a-Lago, located far from Washington.

Trump hasn't taken a clear "vacation" yet. But given the short time he's been in office, combined with the lack of a major travel holiday since his inauguration, he wouldn't necessarily have been expected to. With lots of big holidays coming up in the next few months, including Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Trump will have opportunities to make his intentions on this promise clearer. So we're taking a wait-and-see attitude.

For now, we're keeping this rating at Not Yet Rated.