Latest news with #Bedminster
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Veteran journalist reveals his private talks with Trump
When history teachers of the future attempt to explain Donald J. Trump to bewildered students, they may reach for the usual adjectives — bombastic, disruptive, idiosyncratic, theatrical. But the most accurate descriptor might be simpler: Decisive. Not always right. Not always tactful. Not always early. But always decisive — on his own terms. Covering Trump over a two-decade span has taught me many things. Topmost amongst them: whatever else he is, Trump is a singular decision-making machine. His presidency, for all its chaos and contradiction, has revealed a consistent internal logic behind the madness — call it instinctual realism, or perhaps just gut-based governance. Either way, the former real estate mogul, reality TV impresario, and now, for the second time, commander-in-chief, has honed a seven-step process for making decisions that only Trump could pull off — and only Trump would dare try. And if this Trumpian process feels curiously designed for a live camera feed? Well, that's because it is. 1. Know Who to Ask (Even If It's a Golf Caddy) Conventional presidents lean on national security advisors and policy briefings. Trump? He'll ask the gardener at Mar-a-Lago if bombing Iran seems like a good idea. That's not a joke. Trump consults generals and cabinet members, to be sure — but also Bedminster Club members, business pals, restaurant servers, and occasionally his kids. These on-the-fly dialogues might seem random and unserious, but here's the kicker: Trump has a very high human intelligence radar. He knows how to extract insights from unexpected sources, and he values street smarts as much as Ivy pedigrees. 2. History Buff in a Red Hat Trump is not generally considered a scholar or an intellectual, and he has been derided for occasionally confusing historical facts or offering up sham data. Yet, as I have observed in private conversations with Trump and from his public statements, the president is surprisingly astute and knowledgeable about past events and the lessons they offer. Trump's fascination with his presidential brethren is genuine. He drops obscure facts about John Adams and Dwight Eisenhower with the glee of a 'Jeopardy!' contestant. His Oval Office décor is part war room and part presidential history museum. He channels Nixon's 'madman theory,' Reagan's crackerjack camera instincts, and even Clinton's political elasticity. This isn't mere cosplay. It's tactical. Trump sees history as both a cautionary tale and as a playbook. He studies the winners and the losers, not only to avoid short-term quicksand and grasp splashy successes, but to keep an eye on the long-term allure of his legacy. 3. Deadlines Are for Mortals Tell Trump on Monday that he needs to decide by Wednesday, and he'll circle back around on Friday… of the following month. The man does not operate on government time. Trump decides when he's ready and not a moment before. That nebulous schedule frustrates some staffers, foreign leaders, and journalists — but it's also part of his process. A swift Trump decision is a rare thing; he marinates, digests, delays. And then, in a snap, when everyone else has moved on, he acts. Trump's tacit motto? 'Make no decision before its time.' He is the sort of person who arrives late for a neighborhood tag sale and walks off with the priceless artifact. 4. Match the Method to the Moment Some bureaucratic choices are moral. Others are strategic. Trump doesn't pretend one size fits all. While Bush 43 sometimes made decisions by gut and Obama by measured deliberation, Trump toggles between instinct and data based on what the moment demands. When he sent bombs to Iran, it wasn't about ideology — it was about leverage. When he changes his tariff play, it isn't always about doctrine — it is about control. And his goal is to maintain that control for the remainder of his term and beyond. 5. Execution Is Everything For Trump, a decision isn't over when it's made — it's just beginning. Think of the 2023 catastrophe in East Palestine, Ohio, during the Biden Administration, when a train derailment spilled highly toxic chemicals into the region. Most politicians would have issued a brief statement from afar. Trump, in the middle of his presidential campaign, flew straight to the disaster site, connected the small-town tragedy to big-time governmental implications, and created a viral campaign moment that he would later echo with his iconic visit to a Pennsylvania McDonald's in October 2024, mere weeks before the 2024 presidential election. To Trump, therefore, implementation is as significant as the choice. His mind is a movie set. Every detail matters. The head shots, the applause lines, the backdrop, the lighting, the cast of characters. And Trump is not just the star. He's the director, the screenwriter, the cameraman, and the publicist. 6. Frame It Before They Do One of the oldest lessons in politics remains one of the most important: define yourself before others do. Trump follows this directive with religious fervor — only his church is built with social media posts and mugshot merch. Trump not only makes decisions, he narrates, reframes, rebrands, and rewinds them. The media can chase the story, but Trump keeps control of the narrative. This is why he never fears flip-flopping, a conundrum that has felled many a politician in the past. For Trump, flips-flops are for the weak, but changing your mind is for the strong — if you know how to sell it. And no president, other than FDR or Clinton, has ever sold decisions quite like Trump. 7. Trust the Gut In the end, after all the Oval Office powwows, the family meetings, the phone calls with foreign leaders, the Fox News hits, the Mar-a-Lago tête-à-têtes, Trump always returns to the one thing he trusts the most: his instincts. Trump may experience the same doubts as any president who must make global-scale decisions. But when judgment day arrives, Trump follows his internal compass. Sometimes that leads him into storms. Sometimes it lands him a bullseye. Either way, he owns it. When Trump makes mistakes, he doesn't obsess, he pivots past them. And while other presidents may anguish over moral reckonings and political consequences, Trump is confident that decisive leadership is the real virtue. Better to act and adjust than dither and decay. So, what does it all add up to? It's not 'Game Theory.' It's not 'Decision Points.' It's not even 'The Art of the Deal.' It's Trumpian, modern, perhaps uniquely American. The result is a presidency that operates like a casino floor, a cable set, a boardroom, and a battlefield — all at once. Call it chaotic, call it clever, call it dangerous, but don't call it accidental. Because, as strange as it may seem, this is the plan. And whether President Trump ultimately will end up as a transformational leader or a foundering maverick, one thing's clear: Trump is the decider's decider. And he's still not done deciding. Mark Halperin is the editor-in-chief and host of the interactive live video platform 2WAY and the host of the video podcast 'Next Up' on the Megyn Kelly network.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Trump's Secret Service detail to pay $600K for golf carts and port-a-potties to use at his New Jersey club
The Secret Service is allocating more than $600,000 to rent golf carts and portable toilets for use in Bedminster, New Jersey, the home of President Donald Trump's private country club, according to a review of government procurement data by The Independent. On June 3, the agency signed a pair of definitive contracts with Associates Golf Car Service of Poughkeepsie, New York, and Restroom Resources LLC of Wrightstown, New Jersey, federal records show. The agreement with Associates Golf Car Service Inc., for 'Golf Car Rental and Transportation Services,' is worth a potential $550,930 and runs through June 2, 2026. Restroom Resources's work order for 'portable restroom rentals and services' is worth up to $80,385, runs through May 31, 2026, and comes with a three-year renewal option, for a potential total of $333,801. Taxpayers, as is customary, will be footing both bills. Secret Service agents in golf carts normally ride several holes ahead of and behind Trump when he hits the links, in order to ensure his security. And while it is unclear exactly how the portable restrooms will be used, they are for the convenience of agents on the property and not because they are banned from using the facilities inside, as they were rumored to be at the 5,000 square-foot Washington, D.C. spread rented by First Daughter Ivanka Trump and husband Jared Kushner in 2017. In a email on Monday, a Secret Service spokesperson told The Independent, 'The U.S. Secret Service has contracts in place for portable restrooms and golf cart rentals to support protective operations in Bedminster, New Jersey. The golf carts are used by personnel to move around club property. Secret Service personnel have access to restrooms in club facilities; however, additional restrooms are needed to support the number of personnel onsite. These rentals also allow for restroom access in additional locations on club property and when club facilities are closed such as after business hours.' Messages sent to Associates Golf Car Service Inc. and Restroom Resources went unanswered. In 2019, the Secret Service allocated $95,250 to rent golf carts from Associates Golf Car Service, to be used at Bedminster over a six-month period between May 6 and October 31. It is unclear whether the new rate of $550,930 represents a far larger rental fleet this time around, or if prices have more than doubled in the years since. Golf cart rentals at Associates Golf Car Service range from about $1,000 to $1,400 per month. None of the rental fees are shown going directly to Trump, unlike a July 2018 trip he took to his Trump Turnberry Resort in Scotland, during which the property charged the Secret Service $923 for golf cart rentals. (Trump was accused of overcharging the Secret Service by as much as 300 percent to rent hotel rooms at the Washington, D.C. hotel he owned during his first term.) For its part, Restroom Resources, which serves New Jersey, New York, Delaware, Pennsylvania and Maryland, aims to 'provide the most luxurious portable restroom experience, ensuring comfort, sophistication, and convenience at every event. We believe in enhancing the guest experience with high-end restroom trailers that seamlessly blend style and functionality.' 'At Restroom Resources, we're redefining mobile restroom experiences,' the company's website tells prospective clients. '... We understand that traditional porta potties can be unpleasant – but your guests and team deserve better. That's why we've built our company on exceeding expectations and delivering luxury amenities in every unit.' The initiation fee to join Trump's club in Bedminster sits at about $100,000, according to The Wall Street Journal. Last month, the Somerset County Health Department gave the club's kitchens a food-safety grade of 32 points out of a possible 100, alongside only two other establishments scoring under 40: Hunan Wok in Middlesex Borough and Ponche Suizo in North Plainfield, reported. The club's general manager insisted, without evidence, that the violations were 'politically motivated,' and health inspectors raised the establishment's score to 83 following a return visit in early June. Still, the club was cited for six violations, including two critical ones, such as improperly chilled milk and creamers, weak sanitizer levels, and mops stored in buckets instead of being air-dried. Since his January 20 inauguration, Trump's golf habit has already cost taxpayers more than $53 million, according to tracking site During his first term, Trump's golf habit set back taxpayers a total of $151.5 million, which included security, transportation aboard Air Force 1, meals, and lodging, according to the Government Accountability Office. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
22-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Happy Gilmore 2 Filming Locations: Where Was It Filmed & Shot?
Happy Gilmore 2 will resume the titular character's golf career following his victory in the Tour Championship. While the film is a few days away from its premiere on Netflix, fans have been curious about its shooting spots. So, where was Happy Gilmore 2 shot, and what is interesting about its filming locations? Here is everything you need to know about the shooting locations of the second part of the sports comedy-drama. List of filming locations where Happy Gilmore 2 was shot Happy Gilmore 2 was primarily shot in the breathtaking locations of New Jersey. Below is the list. Fiddler's Elbow Country Club – Bedminster It is a private club that has three championship courses and may serve as a key location for Happy's new tournament. The club is also well known for hosting many golf events in the past. Montclair Golf Club – Verona After Fiddler's Elbow, the film also features Montclair Golf Club, a historic golf course in New Jersey. Viewers will get to see Happy face off against his rivals in this popular location. Closter This location is expected to serve as Happy's practice spot in the sequel. Behind-the-scenes pictures obtained by the Daily Mail show Adam Sandler practicing his golf shots alongside his stunt double on a local driving range. Pleasantdale Château – West Orange Happy spends time with golf legends and offers tributes to numerous icons in the game, including Tiger Woods and Arnold Palmer, in Happy Gilmore 2. The Pleasantdale Château & Conference Estate, a luxurious venue known for hosting numerous events, especially grand weddings, serves as the backdrop for these scenes. Verona Verona is a township in Essex County, New Jersey. The town's Instagram page praised Sandler for the positive atmosphere during filming. They wrote, 'What an incredible morning at Town Hall today! Verona was buzzing with excitement as we welcomed the filming of 'Happy Gilmore 2.' Huge shoutout to [Adam Sandler] and the amazing crew. Come back anytime!' Kearny In November of last year, Adam Sandler and Ben Stiller were spotted filming in the town. Ideal Beach, Middletown Township Ideal Beach also serves as an important location in the film. In the trailer, Happy is seen brushing up on his skills by attempting to hit a golf ball into a trash can. The post Happy Gilmore 2 Filming Locations: Where Was It Filmed & Shot? appeared first on - Movie Trailers, TV & Streaming News, and More.
Yahoo
22-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Peapack-Gladstone: Q2 Earnings Snapshot
BEDMINSTER, N.J. (AP) — BEDMINSTER, N.J. (AP) — Peapack-Gladstone Financial Corp. (PGC) on Monday reported net income of $7.9 million in its second quarter. The Bedminster, New Jersey-based bank said it had earnings of 45 cents per share. The bank holding company posted revenue of $111.1 million in the period. Its revenue net of interest expense was $69.7 million, topping Street forecasts. _____ This story was generated by Automated Insights ( using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on PGC at Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
14-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump's Brazen New Golf Boast Goes Up In Flames On Social Media
Trump's Brazen New Golf Boast Goes Up In Flames On Social Media President Donald Trump on Sunday bragged about winning yet another golf championship ― but not everyone is buying it. The president wrote on his Truth Social website that he and partner Tommy Urciuoli won the member-member championship at Trump's Bedminster golf club. Advertisement Trump has a remarkable record of success at golf, but much of that success comes on his own courses, including at least three other championships at Trump clubs this year alone. Sportswriter Rick Reilly ― who has golfed with Trump ― has said in the past there's a reason for that: He cheats. Reilly told MSNBC last year that Trump cheats 'like a mafia accountant' and called his championships 'fake as Velveeta cheese.' 'He's never won a championship at a course he doesn't own and operate,' Reilly said. 'He's played in Pebble Beach, he's played in the Tahoe one, where there are rules and judges and cameras. And in those, he's never finished in the top half. So he wins when anybody who disagrees that he won is out of the club. That's how he gets it.' Advertisement Reilly wrote an entire book on how Trump cheats at golf. Trump's critics on social media also found it hard to believe that the president won yet another championship ― and, again, on a course he owns:
