Trump gets a new 'executive time' toy -- a $50,000 state-of-the-art golf simulator

Leaked schedules have shown President Donald Trump often spends more than half of his days in unstructured "executive time" in which he watches cable news shows and talks with friends on the phone.

Now the Washington Post reports that the president has a new toy that he can enjoy during "executive time": A $50,000 state-of-the-art golf simulator that will let him virtually play 18 holes without ever having to go outdoors.

The Post's sources describe the simulator as "room-sized," and they say the president paid for it out of his own pocketbook. The simulator has been installed in the president's private residence in the White House.

However, one White House official insists to the Post that Trump has yet to make use of the simulator, even during lengthy periods of "executive time."

Even so, the Post writes that the golf simulator was installed at around the same time the president was presiding over the longest federal government shutdown in American history.

"Trump stayed off the golf course for about 69 days [during the shutdown], the longest such period of his presidency," the Post reports. "Trump broke the streak on February 2, playing with golf legends Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus at Trump’s course in Jupiter, Florida. Trump complained to friends during the shutdown that he missed Mar-a-Lago and being at his Florida golf course."

Read the whole report here.