A man in the crowd hurled a profane accusation at President Donald Trump while the final day of the Presidents Cup was on live television at Medinah Country Club in Medinah, Ill., on Sunday, Sept. 27, 2026. The 80-year-old president had just posed with PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp beside the trophy.
A voice picked up by the microphones shouted, “You’re a ****ing pedophile, Donald!” Other fans responded with whoops. Trump kept looking straight ahead and did not appear to react. The shouter was not identified.
Cheers, Boos and a Boast
Trump opened his remarks by predicting how the day would be portrayed. “You know, the fake news media will say I got a very bad reception,” he said. He went on to tell the crowd, “These people want to see golf. They don’t want to hear a speech,” and added, “I will only say this: Our country is doing great, better than ever before.”
Accounts of the welcome differ. The Chicago Sun-Times reported that chants of “USA” drowned out some scattered boos before he spoke, while loud boos were also reported by Yahoo Sports. NBC Chicago reporter Patrick Fazio posted video of the scene.
Trump was at Medinah as the Presidents Cup’s honorary chairman, a role he also held in 2017, when the event was played at Liberty National in New Jersey. He greeted players and caddies from both teams near the first tee before the 12 singles matches began and stayed close to that spot for much of his visit.
Security and Protests
Spectators were let in at 8 a.m., and the president was expected to stay about two hours, according to The Associated Press. Organizers set up TSA-style screening near the first tee grandstand and asked fans to bring as little as possible and leave extra travel time. SWAT officers and vehicles were stationed around the course.
Rival demonstrations formed outside the club. Allison Galvan, executive director of Grito Latino Addison Community Center Inc., told CBS Chicago the goal was “Giving the message that Trump is not welcome here in Illinois, in Chicago, in Medinah, in Addison — all of our neighborhoods.” Trump supporters gathered across from them. Frank Giammarese, Bloomingdale’s director of public safety, told the Daily Herald that at least five people were arrested on misdemeanor charges.
Americans Rally to Win
The International team took a 10.5-7.5 lead into the final day. The Americans then won 9.5 of the 12 singles points and took the Cup 17-13, their 11th straight victory, with rookie Jacob Bridgeman clinching it by beating Min Woo Lee 1-up. It was the biggest final-day comeback in the event’s history, according to Yahoo Sports.
U.S. captain Brandt Snedeker said Trump told him before the singles that he meant to bring energy, and that he had promised Trump the credit if the Americans pulled it off. Snedeker thanked the president after the win.
Boos in Knoxville the Day Before
The golf outing was Trump’s second sporting event in two days. On Saturday, Sept. 26, he attended the matchup between the Tennessee Volunteers and top-ranked Texas Longhorns at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn. Fans loudly booed when his image appeared on the Jumbotron, the Daily Beast reported. Knoxville station WVLT said its field-level video showed a positive response, though footage from the stands caught a booing voice.
Epstein Questions Keep Surfacing
Hecklers have become common at Trump’s public events, and many of the outbursts have centered on his past friendship with Jeffrey Epstein and on his effort to block release of the full Epstein files. Epstein died in prison in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
In July, a man at a General Motors plant rally in Michigan repeatedly shouted “Pedophile protector!”, and Trump shot back that he was “a communist.” At a June rally at a Mack Trucks factory in Pennsylvania, a protester raised both middle fingers at the president and repeatedly called him a pedophile. In an April interview, Trump told CBS News anchor Norah O’Donnell, “I’m not a pedophile.”
A Reuters/Ipsos poll taken in June found that 10 percent of Americans, and 21 percent of Republicans, believe the administration has helped efforts to hold Epstein’s alleged associates accountable. Another 47 percent said it has hurt those efforts, and three in four respondents said they believe the federal government is hiding information about Epstein’s alleged clients.
