WASHINGTON – A recent inspection found more than a dozen health code violations at President Donald Trump’s ritzy New Jersey golf club.
Raw meat was improperly refrigerated. Milk was spoiled. Handwashing areas were missing soap. And the person in charge failed to “demonstrate knowledge of food safety,” according to an inspection report on May 6.
The inspector gave the club unusually low marks (32 out of 100) compared with other restaurants in the area that month, records show. The club earned a C rating and was ordered to fix all its health code violations and pay a reinspection fee, which is standard practice.
That reinspection, which was conducted on June 4, yielded far better results. Though there were still problems with some cleaning supplies, the inspector’s second pass earned the club a B rating (86 out of 100).
Michael McCarty, the deputy director of health for Somerset County, where the club is located, said reinspections are common and usually occur within two to four weeks of an initial inspection.
The review is the latest critical health inspection of one of Trump’s pricey golf clubs, which are scattered across the country. Many of them cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to join, according to multiple reports.
In 2017, Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort was cited for multiple violations days before Trump, who was then in his first term, was set to host the Japanese prime minister. (The Mar-a-Lago club’s most recent inspection found no health code violations.)
The Bedminster club’s reception desk and chef did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
What did the health inspector find?
The Somerset County Health Department’s initial May inspection showed that the Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster had violated 18 regulations.
None of the club’s employees had obtained a “food manager level certification,” according to the report. State law requires the person in charge at certain types of restaurants to be certified as a “food protection manager.”
Several handwashing stations were also improperly set up. Some lacked soap or paper towels.
Expired milk was found in the fridge, and raw meat was stored above a cheese container, which the inspector said risked cross-contamination.
Many of those issues were fixed when the same inspector returned to review the club on June 4.
How much does it cost to join the club?
While membership fees are not publicly listed for Trump’s New Jersey club, the Wall Street Journal has estimated the initiation fee is over $100,000.
A 2024 financial disclosure report Trump filed with the Federal Election Commission showed his Bedminster facility earned roughly $37 million over a one-year period.
Zachary Schermele is an education reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach him by email at zschermele@usatoday.com. Follow him on X at @ZachSchermele and Bluesky at @zachschermele.bsky.social.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump’s New Jersey golf club racks up health violations
