Trump swings by the Ryder Cup, soaking up fans’ love after vowing revenge on more of his enemies

FARMINGDALE, N.Y. (AP) — President Donald Trump started Friday by warning that more of his enemies will face prosecution, shaking the foundations of the American justice system by treating it as a tool of political retribution.

And then he jetted off to the Ryder Cup to enjoy the rest of the day as the golfer-in-chief, watching the U.S. compete against Europe as the sun shined and the crowd cheered.

It was the latest example of how Trump seizes the attention that comes along with high-profile sporting events, putting his personal imprint on activities that have existed for generations as largely nonpartisan affairs.

Standing on the tee box in white golf shoes and a dark suit, the Republican president led spectators in a “USA!” chant a day after James Comey, the former FBI director, became the first former senior government official involved in one of Trump’s chief grievances to face prosecution. Trump had demanded the prosecution out of anger over Comey's role in the Russia investigation during his first term, and even replaced an experienced U.S. attorney in Virginia to ensure the case moved forward.

Even as he pushes the bounds of the presidency in his second term, Trump still found a warm welcome at the Ryder Cup. The crowd, many of whom endured lengthy security delays, chanted “USA! USA!” as Air Force One flew low over the closing holes at the Bethpage Black course, a show of force that he used on the campaign trail with his private plane and has continued with his government-issued ride.

When Trump stepped away from the course after watching the afternoon fourball matches tee off, some people in the stands behind him chanted “48,” a suggestion that they want the 45th and 47th president to serve an unconstitutional third term.

“He’s doing a hell of a job for the country," said Phil Dunn of Pittsburgh. “He’s trying to bring people together."

As for Comey, Dunn said, “it was treasonous what he did.” After prosecutors targeted Trump while he was out of office — for keeping classified documents, for trying to overturn his defeat in the 2020 election and for paying hush money to a porn star — “this is what you get back,” Dunn said.

Comey is charged with making a false statement to Congress and obstructing a congressional proceeding. He said he will fight the charges, describing them as a consequence of standing up to Trump.

Golf has always been something of a refuge for Trump. He owns several courses and visits often on the weekends to play and hold meetings. On the day the 2020 election was called for Joe Biden, he played a round in Virginia, ensconced in a bubble of adulation despite voters’ rejection.

This year’s Ryder Cup represented a synthesis at the heart of Trump’s political appeal as a billionaire with populist tastes. Although golf has a reputation as an elitist sport, Bethpage, on Long Island, is known as the “People’s Country Club,” and it’s one of the few public courses to host professional tournaments. The course is about 27 miles (44 kilometers) east of Manhattan, in a suburban county that Trump won in 2024.

The Ryder Cup draws a patriotic scene since it pits American players against Europeans. Over-the-top attire — red-white-and-blue overalls, bald eagle shirts and even tricorner hats — are common sights.

“Now Watergate does not bother me,” Lynyrd Skynyrd sang over the loudspeaker. “Does your conscience bother you? Tell the truth.”

The president arrived through a tunnel beneath the grandstand, an announcer heralding his arrival. The crowd roared and broke into more “USA!” chants. European fans countered with “Ole!” but were quickly drowned out. Trump saluted as New York City firefighter Bryan Robinson sang the national anthem. The crowd erupted again as a quartet of military jets raced across the sky.

He then watched from behind a glass barrier near the first tee and the 18th green as the day's second round of matches got underway.

Trump left his perch to greet U.S. captain Keegan Bradley, who gave him a thumbs-up and bowed to him. Bradley also did an imitation of the arm-pumping dance that Trump made famous on the campaign trail and several players, including U.S. Open champion J.J. Spaun, followed suit.

Trump has often harnessed the platform of sports to broaden his reach in American culture. His armored limousine led drivers on two ceremonial laps at the Daytona 500, and already this month he mingled with the New York Yankees in their locker room and attended the U.S. Open tennis tournament.

Sports will only become more central to his presidency. The U.S. is hosting the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics and the World Cup next year, along with Canada and Mexico. Trump has suggested reshaping the schedule for the soccer tournament to mesh with his political agenda by moving matches away from U.S. cities that he deems unsafe.

Some of the cities, he said recently in the Oval office, are “run by radical left lunatics," and he's proposed expanding deployments of National Guard troops. He added that “if I think it isn’t safe, we’ll move it to a different city.”

Little of these controversies were on people's minds at Bethpage on Friday.

Jody Erwin, of Houston, wore a Captain America costume and a red American flag hat from Trump’s golf course in Bedminster, New Jersey. Erwin played the course on Wednesday, his first time there, and was excited that Trump was attending the Ryder Cup.

“He supports golf. He loves golf,” Erwin said. "That’s his whole deal.”

Erwin brushed off the idea that golf has been a safe space for someone like the president, saying, “I don’t think he can ever relax.”

Peter Bruce, who attended from London while decked out in Europe's blue-and-yellow colors, was less enthusiastic.

“It’s not about him, it’s about those 12 players for each team out there,” Bruce said. “It would be better if he decided not to come.”

David Ferraro of Babylon, New York, wore a “Make America Great Again” hat to the tournament and wanted to sit as close to Trump as possible.

“The more times you can see the president, the more access you get to a president, the better,” Ferraro said.

AP Ryder Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/ryder-cup

Kai Trump watches as her grandfather President Donald Trump speaks to reporters before departing the White House, Friday, Sept. 26, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

President Donald Trump waves as he is escorted by Air Force Col. Christopher M. Robinson, Commander, 89th Airlift Wing, before boarding Air Force One, Friday, Sept. 26, 2025, at Joint Base Andrews, Md., en route to the Ryder Cup golf tournament at Bethpage Black in Farmingdale, N.Y.(AP Photo/Luis M. Alvarez)

President Donald Trump addresses the crowd as he attends the Ryder Cup golf tournament, Friday, Sept. 26, 2025, on the Bethpage Black golf course in Farmingdale, N.Y. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

President Donald Trump greets United States team captain Keegan Bradley on the first hole at Bethpage Black golf course during the Ryder Cup golf tournament, Friday, Sept. 26, 2025, in Farmingdale, N.Y. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

President Donald Trump attends the Ryder Cup golf tournament at Bethpage Black Golf Course in Farmingdale, N.Y., Friday, Sept. 26, 2025. (Mandel Ngan/Pool Photo via AP)

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Republican senator who had effectively blocked confirmation of President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Federal Reserve said Sunday he was dropping his opposition after the Department of Justice ended its investigation of the current central bank chair.

The announcement by Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina removes a big hurdle to Trump's effort to install Kevin Warsh, a former high-ranking Fed official, in the job in place of Jerome Powell, long under White House pressure to lower interest rates. Tillis' opposition was enough to stall the nomination in the GOP-controlled Senate Banking Committee as Powell neared the scheduled end of his term on May 15.

“I am prepared to move on with the confirmation of Mr. Warsh. I think he’s going to be a great Fed chair,” Tillis told NBC’s “Meet the Press,” two days after the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia said her office’s investigation of the Fed’s multibillion-dollar building renovations was over. Powell's brief congressional testimony last summer about that work was also under review.

The Fed's internal watchdog is scrutinizing a project, now at $2.5 billion after earlier estimates had put it at $1.9 billion, that the Republican president has criticized for cost overruns. Powell had asked in July for the inspector general's review.

“I believe that there will not be any wrongdoing. Maybe we find a little stupid here in terms of somebody responsible for the project making a decision they shouldn't? Maybe. But it doesn’t rise to a criminal prosecution. That was my problem to begin with because I feel like there were prosecutors in D.C. that thought this was going to be a lever to have Mr. Powell leave early," he said.

Tillis, who infuriated Trump in June for opposing his big tax and spending cuts bill over Medicaid reductions and then announced he would not seek reelection in 2026, added that he had received assurances from the Justice Department that “the case is completely and fully settled … and that the only way an investigation would be opened would be a criminal referral from one of the most respect inspector generals.”

The committee on Saturday said it planned to vote Wednesday on Warsh's nomination. The ranking Democrat, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, responded with a statement that "no Republican claiming to care about Fed independence should support moving forward the nomination of Kevin Warsh, who proved in his nomination hearing to be nothing more than President Trump’s sock puppet.”

Also Wednesday, Fed policymakers will meet and are expected to keep their key interest rate unchanged for the third straight meeting, shrugging off Trump's demands for a cut. At a news conference, Powell could indicate whether he will remain on the Fed's board of governors after his term as chair ends, an unusual but not completely unprecedented step that would deny Trump the opportunity to fill another seat on the seven-member board. Powell's term as a governor lasts until January 2028.

At a hearing last week, Warsh told senators he never promised the White House that he would cut interest rates and pledged to be “an independent actor” if confirmed as chair. Hours before that, Trump had been asked in a CNBC interview whether he would be disappointed if Warsh did not immediately cut rates. “I would,” the president said.

Without the constraints of a political campaign, Tillis has spoken out forcefully about Powell, decrying the inquiry by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro, a longtime Trump ally, as a “vindictive prosecution” and suggested it threatened the Fed’s longtime independence from day-to-day politics. Tillis told NBC that he had gotten assurances from the Justice Department that he needed "to feel like they were not using DOJ as a weapon to threaten the independence of the Fed. So this will allow Mr. Warsh to move on with his confirmation.”

On Saturday, Trump was asked by reporters whether there was now smooth sailing for Warsh with the end of the Justice Department's investigation. “I imagine it's smooth,” Trump said, adding that his nominee “is going to be fantastic.” The president said he still wanted to find out “how can a building of that size cost ... whatever it’s going to be.”

Trump visited the Fed building in July and, in front of television cameras, said the renovations would run $3.1 billion. Powell, standing next to him, said after looking at a paper presented to him by Trump, that the president's latest price tag was incorrect.

The investigation was among several undertaken by the Justice Department into Trump’s perceived adversaries. For months it had failed to gain traction as prosecutors struggled to articulate a basis to suspect criminal conduct. Other efforts by the department to prosecute Trump’s adversaries, including New York state Attorney General Letitia James, a Democrat, and former FBI Director James Comey, have also been unsuccessful.

Last month, a federal judge quashed Justice Department subpoenas issued to the Fed in the investigation, describing their purpose as “to harass and pressure Powell to resign” and open the path for a new chair. A prosecutor handling the Powell case had acknowledged at a closed-door court hearing that the government had not found any evidence of a crime.

Pirro said Friday on X that she “will not hesitate to restart a criminal investigation should the facts warrant doing so.” The acting attorney general, Todd Blanche, told NBC on Sunday that ”there is no doubt that we will investigate" if the inspector general finds evidence of criminal conduct.

Warsh is a financier and former member of the Fed’s board of governors. Trump nominated him in January.

FILE - President Donald Trump listens to Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell speak during a visit to the Federal Reserve, July 24, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, File)

Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., speaks during the confirmation hearing of Kevin Warsh, nominee for Federal Reserve chair, on Capitol Hill, in Washington Tuesday, April 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

Kevin Warsh testifies during his nomination hearing to be a member and chairman of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors before the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee on Capitol Hill, in Washington Tuesday, April 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

FILE - Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell addresses students at Harvard University, March 30, 2026, in Cambridge, Mass. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, File)

Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., speaks during the confirmation hearing of Kevin Warsh, nominee for Federal Reserve chair, on Capitol Hill, in Washington Tuesday, April 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)