Trump Country Club Rocked by 'Animal Cruelty' Claims After Disturbing Video Emerges — 'Absolutely Unacceptable and Disgusting'
Trump is accused of engaging in animal cruelty
Sept. 23 2026, Published 4:42 p.m. ET
Donald Trump's country club has been rocked by shocking "animal cruelty" claims after a disturbing video emerged online, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
The video shows pet-store fish being dumped into a shallow, chlorinated swimming pool for a bizarre game in which parents and children scramble through the water with plastic cups, chasing and attempting to scoop up the fish.
Trump Spotted Near Controversial Event
A second video appears to show Trump walking around the pool area.
The videos prompted outrage on X, with users criticizing the event and treatment of the fish – as they appear to be swimming erratically.
One user wrote after the video circulated online: "Small fish suffocate and die a painful death when put into chlorinated water. These people are gruesome."
Another added: "Teach kids to disrespect life. Horrible parenting."
A third said: "This is absolutely unacceptable and disgusting."
Another noted: "Chlorine kills fish. The f--- is wrong with y'all?"
A second video emerged online showing President Donald Trump walking around the pool area at roughly the same time as the event.
PETA's Response To The Videos
The videos prompted outrage surrounding 'animal cruelty' allegations.
In a statement to The Daily Beast, a PETA representative commented on the footage, saying that even "brief exposure" to chlorine is dangerous.
The statement added: "PETA has not verified where this footage was taken, but if it is authentic, no fish should be subjected to being harassed, chased, grabbed, fought over, or potentially stepped on by excited children who may not mean to hurt them."
Trump Previously Signed Animal Cruelty Law
In November 2019, Trump signed the Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture Act.
The episode also comes years after Trump signed federal legislation targeting certain forms of animal cruelty.
In November 2019, Trump signed the Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture Act, known as the PACT Act, into law.
The law made intentional animal crushing a federal offense in specified circumstances and also addressed the creation and distribution of animal-crush videos.
The legislation does not establish that the conduct shown in the golf club footage violated federal law, and the videos alone do not establish who organized the event or how the fish were handled before or after the footage was recorded.
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PETA Has Praised Trump Policies
PETA’s relationship with the Trump administration has also included areas of agreement.
PETA’s relationship with the Trump administration has also included areas of agreement – particularly over reducing the use of animals in federally funded research.
In 2025, PETA publicly praised the Food and Drug Administration and Environmental Protection Agency for pursuing human-relevant, non-animal testing methods.
PETA has also supported the National Institutes of Health’s shift toward non-animal research.
PETA applauded the NIH’s announcement of a $150million investment in non-animal research methods in 2026 and said the Trump administration’s efforts represented progress toward replacing animal experiments with other research approaches.
