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| - A rumor that former U.S. President George W. Bush once proclaimed he'd quit playing golf during the Iraq War out of respect for the families of those serving in the military circulated on the internet in March 2026, soon after the United States and Israel initiated
Users on social media platforms like X (archived) and Facebook (archived) shared the purported quote from Bush, in which they claimed he once said, "I think playing golf during a war sends the wrong signal."
Some posts sharing the alleged quote included pictures of U.S. President Donald Trump playing golf along with the words, "Trump this weekend after a 7th service member dies in Iran," implying that Trump was being disrespectful while Bush had displayed decency.
Bush on why he quit golf during the war: "I didn't want some mom whose son may have died to see the commander-in-chief playing golf. I owe it to the families to be in solidarity as best I can. And I think playing golf during a war sends the wrong signal."
Senile Satan: 👇 pic.twitter.com/kYAKlxXRz9— Hoodlum 🇺🇸 (@NotHoodlum) March 10, 2026
The quote was correctly attributed to Bush. The former president made the statement during a live interview with Yahoo and Politico on May 13, 2008.
The interview was noteworthy at the time for being Bush's "first ever on camera interview exclusively for an online audience," as Politico wrote in its announcement of the event.
A full transcript of the conversation published by Politico and attributed to the White House is available for reading online. We've reached out to the George W. Bush Presidential Library and Politico to confirm the transcript is accurate and will update this story if we learn more.
The quote about golf occurs midway through the interview.
The full exchange read:
Q: Mr. President, you haven't been golfing in recent years. Is that related to Iraq?
THE PRESIDENT: Yes, it really is. I don't want some mom whose son may have recently died to see the Commander-in-Chief playing golf. I feel I owe it to the families to be as -- to be in solidarity as best as I can with them. And I think playing golf during a war just sends the wrong signal.
Q: Mr. President, was there a particular moment or incident that brought you to that decision, or how did you come to that?
THE PRESIDENT: No, I remember when de Mello, who was at the U.N., got killed in Baghdad as a result of these murderers taking this good man's life. And I was playing golf -- I think I was in central Texas -- and they pulled me off the golf course and I said, it's just not worth it anymore to do.
While we have not been able to track down a video of the full interview, a clip of the segment containing the quote was available on the YouTube page of film director Michael Moore, who uploaded it on May 14, 2008 — the day after the interview aired.
Bush was referencing the death of Sergio Vieira de Mello, a longtime United Nations diplomat who was killed in a bombing in Baghdad in August 2003.
Politico also reported select quotes from the interview in a separate article, which also included the quote in question.
Credible outlets including Reuters, NPR, The Washington Post and The Guardian reported Bush's statement about playing golf at the time. Journalist Keith Olbermann wrote a response to Bush's interview for NBC News on May 14, 2008, and specifically criticized the then-president's golf comment.
Olbermann wrote, "You, Mr. Bush, let their sons and daughters be killed. Sir, to show your solidarity with them you gave up golf? Sir, to show your solidarity with them you didn't give up your pursuit of this insurance-scam, profiteering, morally and financially bankrupting war."
The Guardian also ran a response to Bush's comment, reporting reactions from U.S. veterans. The report quoted one infantryman as saying, "For President Bush to imply that he somehow stands in solidarity with families of American soldiers by giving up golf is disgraceful. It's an insult to all Americans and a slap in the face to our troops' families."
Bush's quote returned to the spotlight in March 2026 after President Trump was photographed playing golf on March 8, one day after attending a service honoring service members killed in the ongoing war in Iran.
People who shared the Bush quote appeared to intend to show the disparity in empathy between the two wartime presidents, though most posts sharing the quote neglected to add that Bush was widely criticized for his statement at the time. Those sharing Bush's quote about quitting golf also did not reference another viral golf-related moment involving the president from 2002, in which Bush gave an interview about the then-ramping up "War on Terror," which he concluded by telling reporters to "watch this drive" before teeing off.
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