JERSEY CITY - The U.S. Team claimed its seventh straight Presidents Cup with the trophy's namesake on hand at Liberty National Golf Club on Sunday.
About three hours after his 3 p.m. arrival, President Donald Trump emerged from the Liberty National clubhouse and became the first-ever sitting president to award the trophy, handing it to American team after their 19-11 win.
Trump spoke for about two minutes before handing the trophy to U.S. captain Steve Stricker, touching on both golf and hurricane relief.
"On behalf of all of the people of Texas and all of the people of - if you look today and see what's happening, how horrible it is, though we have it under really great control in Puerto Rico," Trump said. "And the people of Florida, who have really suffered over this last short period of time with the hurricanes, I want to just remember them and we're going to dedicate this trophy to all of those people that went through so much."
During Trump's speech, he also lauded the PGA Tour's philanthropy efforts and the Americans' "unbelievable" play.
The president's remarks came hours after he attacked critics of his hurricane response in Puerto Rico on Sunday morning from Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster. While there, he also tweeted that Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is "wasting his time" negotiating with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
Prior to the trophy ceremony, Trump spent the afternoon inside the clubhouse in the PGA Tour Commissioner's suite. The clubhouse sits adjacent to the 14th green - where the trophy ceremony was held - with the Statue of Liberty and Manhattan skyline behind it.
Just after entering the clubhouse, he continued to tweet about North Korea.
Trump left the course shortly after the trophy ceremony, taking Marine One to Morristown Municipal Airport, where Air Force One was waiting for his trip back to Washington, D.C.
News of Trump's visit first broke on Wednesday and was confirmed by the White House on Sunday morning.
Trump's visit came three days after Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama took part in the event's opening ceremony.
The appearance was Trump's second at a golf tournament this year; the president attended the U.S. Women's Open, which was hosted by Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, back in July.
The Presidents Cup is a biennial event that pits a team of 12 U.S. golfers against an International Team made up of players from outside the U.S. and Europe.
With the win, the American team pushed its record in the competition - which dates back to 1994 - to 10-1-1. The International Team's only victory came in 1998, while the two teams tied in 2003.
"They're special people," Trump said. "They are born and then they work very hard on this incredible talent. They really are, they're very talented, talented folks and really they are people that have good hearts."
Matt Stypulkoski may be reached at mstypulkoski@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @M_Stypulkoski.