Politics'This Is Gross and Cruel': Donald Trump Golf Club's Live Fish Stunt in Kids' Pool Sparks Disgust
Donald Trump's live fish stunt in kids' pool earned him backlash.
Sept. 18 2026, Updated 4:40 a.m. ET
Donald Trump's latest stint is earning him backlash yet again.
In a recent turn of events, the president's golf club in Virginia did something weird: They dumped small, live fish into a chlorinated pool full of children, according to PatriotTakes on X.
Donald Trump was criticized for dumping live small fish in a pool of chlorinated water.
While the video showed the children excitedly scooping up the fish in the ankle-deep pool alongside the adults, netizens found a genuine problem with it.
As online onlookers pointed out, the fish likely wouldn't survive in the pool due to the chlorine, essentially meaning that the children were practically splashing around in a pool of dead fish.
Since then, numerous social media handles have hit back on the clip, slamming the president for pulling off something so horrifying.
Netizen's criticized Donald Trump's move, saying that the children were practically splashing around in a pool of dead fish.
One of the criticisers is sports and politics columnist Janice Hough, who wrote in a post on X, "This is gross and cruel... All those fish will die in pain."
"It's outrageous," agreed progressive political commentator Lucas Sanders.
Meanwhile, Democratic strategist Adam Parkhomenko reacted, "What?!" while disinformation expert Jim Stewartson wondered, "No...what the f—? Everything has to be weird and sadistic with these people."
"I'm telling you, these people are aliens," Ben Meiselas, the co-founder of the MeidasTouch political news network, warned.
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Several social media handles hit back on the clip, slamming the president for pulling off something so horrifying.
"Fish loves chlorine," joked progressive news personality Alex Cole.
"I've seen this with plastic rubber ducks - no fish get harmed," Decoding Fox News, a political account run by journalist and podcaster Juliet Jeske, wrote. "The kids get to keep the rubber duckie and everyone has a great time. There's no reason to do this with live fish."
"You have to be a sick f— to dump fish into a chemically treated pool for entertainment," writer and content creator Amy Lynn Phillips Thatcher said, further blasting the president.
Trump's Golf Clubs Have Been Hit With Health Code Violations
Donald Trump's golf clubs have been hit with health code violations since his second term as the president of the United States began.
While that's that, it's worth noting how Trump's golf clubs have been hit with health code violations since his second term as the president of the United States began.
Health inspectors reportedly found around 18 health code violations in the kitchen of his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey.
Meanwhile, the Trump National Golf Club Hudson Valley in Hopewell Junction, New York, was flagged for a "critical violation" at its restaurant by a Dutchess County health inspector.
Similar "critical" violations were found at the Trump National Golf Club Westchester earlier this year as well, per Raw Story.
