Donald Trump Golf Course Earthquake Sparks Avalanche of Jokes, Memes

Donald Trump has been targeted with a wave of jokes and memes on social media after it emerged the epicenter of Friday's 4.8 magnitude earthquake, which hit the New York City tri-state area, was right next to his National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the earthquake's epicenter was by Whitehouse Station in New Jersey, less than 7 miles from the former president's golf course. The federal agency reported the earthquake struck at 10:23 a.m. ET. There were no reports of casualties or "major damage reports" from the earthquake, according to New York officials.

On X, formerly Twitter, users focused on the earthquake's proximity to one of the crown jewels in Trump's business empire as they unleashed a wave of mockery. Newsweek has contacted the Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster for comment via online enquiry form.

Jim Drumheller, an X user from New Jersey, jokingly posted: "Maybe Trump was in Bedminster selling bibles again and God was like enough already."

Trump was criticized by some Christians after promoting the sale of "God Bless the USA" Bibles for $59.99 in the runup to Easter.

Another New Jersey-based X user wrote: "The epicenter of the #earthquake wasn't far from Bedminster. Are we sure it wasn't Trump throwing a tantrum about how much losing he's been doing lately?"

The Lincoln Project, an anti-Trump conservative group, posted a photograph of the former president on the stairway of a helicopter adding: "NYC: that wasn't an earthquake it was just Trump landing in Bedminster for the weekend."

Another X user posted a meme showing the ground shaking, then a pile of cardboard boxes appearing. They wrote: "Donald Trump's bedminster Golf Course. During the earthquake."

This is a reference to the classified documents that the FBI said it recovered from Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate, leading to the former president facing criminal prosecution, though he has pled not guilty to all counts.

Tim O'Brien, a senior executive editor at Bloomberg, shared a tweet from House Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene attributing the earthquake to God's anger with America.

She wrote: "God is sending America strong signals to tell us to repent. Earthquakes and eclipses and many more things to come."

O'Brien added: "Does MTG know the earthquake's epicenter was a 12-minute drive from Trump's Bedminster, NJ golf course?"

Other X users noted Ivana Trump, Donald Trump's first wife, was buried at the Bedminster golf club following her death in 2022.

Writer David Rothkopf said: "Earthquake near Bedminster, NJ. Ground shakes. It opens. Zombie Ivana Trump crawls out of her grave pushing the classified documents that filled her coffin aside. She's angry."

Lawyer George Conway, a prominent Lincoln Project supporter, added: "Ivana big mad."

In March, Trump became the presumptive Republican candidate for the 2024 presidential election, setting up a rematch of the 2020 contest against Joe Biden. This has solidified attention on the policy and personality differences between the two rivals, with Trump's bid complicated by four upcoming criminal trials. He strongly denies any wrongdoing.