Trump insists he is not swinging the lead at golf club

DONALD TRUMP has hit back at critics over his plans to spend 17 days at his New Jersey golf club, insisting the visit was a working trip.

Almost immediately guests at his Bedminster estate posted video of a relaxed looking Mr Trump arriving on a golf buggy to greet them. Barack Obama was lambasted by Republicans over the amount of time he spent swinging a golf club, having played 333 times during his two terms.

Mr Trump’s decision to abandon the White House for more than a fortnight has led critics to question his work ethic. However, aides have insisted that the trip is a “working vacation”.

Mr Trump entered the fray himself on Saturday evening. “Working in Bedminster, NJ, as long planned construction is being done at the White House,” he wrote on Twitter. “This is not a vacation – meetings and calls!”

However, a video posted to Instagram on Saturday showed the president at the edge of a golf course, dressed in golfing attire and stepping from behind the wheel of a golf cart to welcome wedding guests, joking: “Come on where’s the bride?”