It has been 80 years since George Orwell wrote that sport was “war minus the shooting” in an essay on Dynamo Moscow’s 1945 tour of Britain. The Soviet footballers had been summoned to a meeting beforehand with Joseph Stalin and Lavrentiy Beria, chief of the secret police. They were told that losing to capitalists was not an option.

“Serious sport has nothing to do with fair play,” Orwell wrote. “It is bound up with hatred, jealousy, boastfulness, disregard for all rules and sadistic pleasure in witnessing violence.” Over the weekend, the Ryder Cup in Bethpage, New York, seemed to reinforce that.

This year’s American galleries resembled a baying mob more than spectators of one of the world’s most genteel sports. The announcer, who has since resigned, encouraged American fans on the first tee to shout “F*** you, Rory” at Europe’s top golfer. Down the fairways and around the greens, players faced abuse — and what we hope was just beer — thrown at them, often while lining up a shot. It was boorish and, had it delivered victory, Trump would surely have revelled in it. Instead, it was the Europeans who cut the President down to size.

Trump’s second term is going heavy on sport. He became the first sitting president to attend a Super Bowl and has appeared at the US Open tennis and FIFA Club World Cup finals. He watched a New York Yankees game on 11 September and is even bringing cage fighting to the White House lawn. By the time the Los Angeles Olympics roll around in 2028, it promises to be a full-blown celebration of US gold-rush triumphalism.

Trump seems to be following an ancient maxim. The Roman poet Juvenal wrote that the public most want politicians who give them “bread and circuses”. So, by playing the role of Jock-in-Chief, Trump hoped to appeal to his own voters. The Bethpage bear pit — loud, brash, lacking in decorum or fair play — seemed to be made in Trump’s own image. It was a modern Colosseum.

Politicians have always sought to derive glory from sporting success — and not just on the Right. Think of Nelson Mandela donning a Springboks jersey after their 1995 World Cup triumph, or Sadiq Khan posing for photos at Twickenham after the Red Roses claimed their World Cup on Saturday. One wonders how much women’s rugby he had watched before. But these gestures can backfire spectacularly: after a Five Nations win, John Major ventured into the England dressing room and was greeted by a naked Mickey Skinner. The England flanker reportedly “adjusted his undercarriage” before cheerfully offering the same sweaty handshake to the Prime Minister.

A victorious Ryder Cup had long been on Trump’s radar as a way to impress the voters that he, by extension, is a winner. He had waited five years to become the first sitting president to attend the event. One was meant to be held in Wisconsin in 2020, six weeks before he sought re-election, but it was postponed due to the pandemic.

This time, he arrived as Team USA’s star attraction. Bryson DeChambeau, a former US Open champion who had joined Trump onstage for his victory speech after regaining the White House, said the President would inspire the team. Liz Huston, his assistant press secretary, claimed he had “stepped up to save the Ryder Cup” after issuing an executive order last week to prevent a local transport strike.

Trump arrived with Europe leading 3-1 and promptly posted a video of a commentator suggesting he could spark a comeback, alongside a fan tweet praising him: “Holy crap! Ryder Cup crowd goes CRAZY for President Trump. This is what a president who is loved by his fellow countrymen looks like,” wrote Eric Daugherty. The message was clear: Team USA were just waiting for their leader to save them.

Unfortunately, the result did not work out as planned. Europe, captained by Luke Donald, held on to win 15-13, their first triumph in the US since 2012. Our Donald was better than their Donald. Europe tweeted a video of their team with the trophy, singing: “Are you watching Donald Trump?” It got a curt reply. “Yes I’m watching,” he wrote. “Congratulations.”

Trump had hoped to share in his country’s victory by association, but instead he became a bystander to another team’s success.