PGA Tour taps Donald Trump to reprise honorary chairman role for Presidents Cup, White House confirms
US President Donald Trump has been named honorary chairman of the 2026 Presidents Cup, the PGA Tour announced, marking his return to a role he previously held at the 2017 edition. The appointment continues the tournament's tradition of involving world leaders, and the PGA Tour said Trump's presence would help raise the event's international profile.
The 2026 Presidents Cup will run from 22 to 27 September at Medinah Country Club near Chicago, featuring 12-man teams from the United States and an International side, captained by Brandt Snedeker and Geoff Ogilvy respectively. Trump previously served as honorary chairman in 2017 at Liberty National Golf Club, when the US beat the International Team 19-11, and he becomes the seventh US president to hold the honorary role, following Joe Biden, Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush and Gerald Ford. Trump confirmed his acceptance in a social media post, praising the talent on both teams and saying he looked forward to attending.
- Trump named honorary chairman of 2026 Presidents Cup golf tournament.
- Event runs 22–27 September at Medinah Country Club, Chicago.
- He previously held the role in 2017; now the seventh US president to do so.
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Trump's role at the Presidents Cup is largely ceremonial. The tournament, run by the PGA Tour, pits a 12-man United States team against a 12-man International team made up of top golfers from outside the US and Europe, and it has long involved sitting or former presidents acting as "honorary chairman" – a title that carries prestige rather than any hands-on organising duties.
The 2026 edition takes place in September at Medinah Country Club near Chicago, with Brandt Snedeker leading the US side and Geoff Ogilvy captaining the International team. Trump held the same honorary post once before, in 2017, when the US won comfortably, and he now joins a line of six previous presidents, from both major parties, who have taken on the role.
The appointment matters mainly for what it signals about the event's profile and its tradition of drawing in high-profile political figures to boost attention around the tournament. It does not affect who plays or how the competition is scored, but it places a sitting president back in the public eye at a major international sporting event.