President Trump fights back over his 17-day New Jersey break

Barack Obama was repeatedly lambasted by Republicans over the amount of time he spent swinging a golf club, having played 333 times during his two terms. But the current president's enthusiasm for the sport seems to match that of his predecessor.

Mr Trump's decision to abandon the White House  for more than a fortnight has led critics to question his work ethic and devotion to the job.

The president's aides have insisted that the trip is what they billed as a "working vacation".

Mr Trump entered the fray himself on Saturday evening, inevitably turning to Twitter to do so.

He told his 35 million followers that he had left the White House to allow long planned building work to be carried out.

Mr Trump added that his time at the club at Bedminster in rural New Jersey would be filled with meetings and calls.

It is understood that one of the key tasks at the White House will be to replace the 27-year old heating and cooling system, finishing work which began under the previous administration.

Those that remain in Washington will be redeployed to the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, rather than being expected to remain in the West Wing without air-conditioning during the city's sweltering summer.

The South Portico steps are being renovated for the first time since 1953. The West Wing is being redecorated and recarpeted and even the Oval Office is being refurbished.

Mr Trump's absence will be comparatively brief, unlike Harry Truman who spent nearly four years living in nearby Blair House while the crumbling official presidential residence underwent comprehensive renovation.

It was while Mr Truman was in Blair House that two Puerto Rican nationalists mounted an unsuccessful assassination attempt in November 1950 - killing a White House police officer.

With an extensive personal property portfolio - including an opulent apartment in Manhattan, an estate at Mar-a-Lago in Florida and the Bedminster golf club, the current president is not short of alternative accommodation.

He also has the option of Camp David, the rustic official country retreat in Thurmont, Maryland, just over 60 miles outside Washington. - The Telegraph