Donald Trump reportedly hands out hot dogs to Secret Service agents at his golf club. Then his business sends the government the bill: ‘So weird’

A Forbes story by Dan Alexander said President Donald Trump has Secret Service agents sample the hot dogs at his golf club, after which the club bills the agency for the food.

Alexander’s reporting looked at Trump’s time on the course and at the hot dogs served near the 11th hole at Trump National Golf Club outside Washington, D.C.

A former club employee told Forbes Trump has “this weird, very odd pride about how good the hot dogs are.” The same employee said the chef must be present and that Trump tells him, “Chef, get everyone a hot dog – all these guys.”

Club account lets Trump serve hot dogs while Secret Service pays the tab

Those “guys,” Alexander wrote, include about 30 golf carts of Secret Service agents traveling with Trump. Workers have prepared as many as 50 hot dogs for the group on some occasions, the report said.

Agents are limited by ethics rules from taking gifts from the person they protect, a former employee said. He added that the club set up an account so Trump could pass out the hot dogs and the Secret Service would later be charged.

“There, in one all-beef transaction, is the Trump presidency in miniature,” Alexander wrote. “Trump owns the club. Trump controls the chef. Trump doles out the hot dogs. Trump watches everyone eat them. Then Trump’s business sends the government the bill.” The Secret Service’s role in protecting Trump has drawn public attention, as when a former Michigan nurse posted a video against Donald Trump that prompted a response.

Forbes did not report the total billed to the Secret Service. Alexander wrote that some agents “secretly arrange for slimmed-down dogs – an act of insubordination coordinated directly with the chef.” The financial arrangement is part of a broader pattern of strain on the Secret Service, as seen when JD Vance’s requests reportedly have agents at their breaking point.

One former employee said Trump adds “as much mustard and relish that you could possibly imagine.” Another called his mustard style “very artistic.”

The White House rejected a former employee’s remark that Trump often needed a fresh shirt after eating. Officials told Forbes, “Not true that he frequently spills on himself.”

The hot-dog custom is one piece of Alexander’s larger look at Trump’s golf-property visits. Forbes calculated he has gone to one of his golf properties on roughly 165 of about 600 days since returning to office and has spent more than 1,400 hours there.

Other golfers step aside when Trump’s group comes through, “basically parting the Red Sea,” one playing partner told Forbes. Members now stand and clap when Trump walks into the grill after a round, a habit Alexander said started only after he became president and later appeared at other Trump clubs.

“So weird,” a former employee said. A White House spokesperson told Forbes Trump’s work ethic is “unmatched” and that he takes meetings and attends fundraisers while at the clubs.