A heckler accused President Donald Trump, 80, of being a pedophile during the live broadcast of the Presidents Cup closing ceremony in Medinah, Ill., on Sunday, Sept. 27, 2026. The man shouted from the upper grandstand during Trump’s opening remarks, and Trump kept speaking.
The shout came as Trump stepped forward alongside PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp, the two posing beside the Presidents Cup trophy, and a voice carried over the microphones. The man was heard shouting, “You’re a f—ing pedophile, Donald!”
A round of whooping came back from other spectators in reply. Trump, for his part, stared ahead and gave no sign that he had registered the commotion. The heckler has not been identified.
A Mixed Reception at Medinah
Before the heckle, the appearance in the Chicago suburb had looked like the friendlier of his two weekend outings. Trump met with cheers and chants of “USA” as he delivered remarks. “You know, the fake news media will say I got a very bad reception,” he said.
The crowd response was more complicated than that. Spectators at the course greeted his arrival with a mix of cheers and quite a few loud boos. Patrick Fazio, a reporter with NBC Chicago, posted video of the moment.
Trump attended as the tournament’s honorary chairman, a role the PGA Tour announced on Aug. 29 that he had accepted. He also held it at the 2017 Presidents Cup, which the United States also won.
Gates at Medinah Country Club opened to spectators at 8 a.m., and the president was not due until the closing ceremony around 11 a.m. Air Force One could be seen flying over the course beforehand. Officials imposed additional security restrictions because of the trip, including TSA-style screening checkpoints around the first tee grandstand and surrounding areas. Fans were told by organizers to bring as few personal items as possible and to budget extra time for the trip.
Demonstrators gathered at several points around the visit. At least five people were arrested on misdemeanor charges, Bloomingdale’s director of public safety told the Daily Herald.
Trump arrived before the 12 singles matches and greeted players and caddies from both teams at the first tee. He kept his first-tee remarks short, telling the crowd, “These people want to see golf,” according to a media outlet.
Americans Rally to Take the Cup
The Presidents Cup pits the United States against the rest of the world, excluding Europe. The International team led 10.5-7.5 going into the final day, Sept. 27, at Medinah Country Club’s Course No. 3.
Of the 12 singles points, 9.5 went to the Americans, who took the Cup 17-13 for their 11th straight victory and the largest final-day comeback in Presidents Cup history. Rookie Jacob Bridgeman clinched the 17-13 win with a 1-up victory over Min Woo Lee. Cameron Young opened the singles against Ryo Hisatsune and won 3 and 2, and Justin Thomas beat Corey Conners 5 and 3.
U.S. captain Brandt Snedeker credited Trump after the Sept. 27 win, saying Trump had told him before the singles session that he was going to bring energy because the team needed it. Snedeker thanked the president. Trump afterward praised the U.S. team for the turnaround.
After the trophy presentation at the closing ceremony, a live microphone caught Trump saying, “I’d like to go home.” The remark followed his congratulations to Snedeker and photographs with the winning team. Music began moments later.
Tiger Woods, the 2019 U.S. captain, posted on social media after the finish: “What a comeback!” He congratulated Team USA on an “incredible Presidents Cup victory” and called it a “Great team win.”
Booed in Knoxville a Day Earlier
The golf tournament was Trump’s second major sporting event in as many days. The Tennessee Volunteers hosted the top-ranked Texas Longhorns in a heavily hyped meeting at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn., on Saturday, Sept. 26, and Trump was in attendance. The crowd loudly booed him “inside one of the reddest states in the country” as soon as his image appeared on the Jumbotron.
Trump left at halftime, missing Texas’ 20-17 win over Tennessee. He later posted a video of himself smiling and fist-pumping on the Jumbotron.
Epstein Questions Follow the President
Hecklers have become a fixture of Trump’s public appearances. Two subjects dominate the interruptions: his past friendship with Jeffrey Epstein, and his push to keep the full trove of Epstein files from being released. A man at a rally at a General Motors facility in Michigan repeatedly shouted in July that the president was a protector of pedophiles; Trump fired back that the heckler was a communist. In June, at a rally at a Mack Trucks factory in Pennsylvania, a protester raised his middle finger at the president and repeatedly called him a pedophile.
Epstein, who died in prison in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges, had been a close friend of Trump’s for years. “I’m not a pedophile,” Trump told CBS News anchor Norah O’Donnell in an April interview when pressed on the accusation.
Public skepticism has not eased. In a Reuters/Ipsos survey conducted in June, just 10 percent of Americans — and only 21 percent of Republicans — said they believe the Trump administration has helped efforts to hold Epstein’s alleged associates accountable. Another 47 percent said the administration has hurt those efforts. The same survey found that three in four respondents believe the federal government is hiding information about Epstein’s alleged clients.