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politifacts how much has been spent by the u.s. government on trump's golf trips

by Kallie Baumbach Published 2 years ago Updated 1 year ago

How much does President Trump spend on golf each year?

President Donald Trump returned to Mar-a-Lago on Friday evening for the 29th golf-related trip of his presidency to his for-profit Palm Beach, Florida, resort, raising his total taxpayer golf tab to $133.8 million. That figure translates to 334 years of the presidential salary that Trump and his supporters frequently boast he is not taking.

How much money has the government spent on Trump's vacations?

"If we, therefore, assume a blanket average of $3.4 million per trip, regardless of duration, the total the government has spent on Trump’s trips to the resort tops $64 million," Bump wrote. Flights alone accounted for $40 million of Bump's estimate, the Post's Glenn Kessler reported.

Are Trump’s golf trips breaking the bank?

“That figure translates to 334 years of the presidential salary that Trump and his supporters frequently boast he is not taking,” the report noted. Not only are Trump’s golf trips breaking the bank, but they show just what a hypocrite this man is – as if we needed more evidence.

Is Trump’s golf subsidized by taxpayers?

One of President Donald Trump's favorite recreational activities is golf. Robert Reich, author and former Labor secretary, claims in an Oct. 19 post to his Facebook page that the hobby is subsidized by U.S. taxpayers.

Why did Melania Trump pay $675,000 for her travel?

How much did Michelle Obama's solo travel cost?

How much did Melania Trump spend on hair?

How much did the First Lady spend on flights?

How many flights did the First Lady take?

Did Melania Trump spend money?

See more

About this website

Why did we track Trump's golf course visits?

We decided to track Trump’s golf course visits because he so routinely criticized his predecessor for the practice.

How many times did Barack Obama play golf?

Obama’s first game as president was April 26, 2009. He went on to play 333 times total over his eight years, according to CBS White House correspondent Mark Knoller, who tracked Obama’s games. During the campaign, Trump said he would play golf smarter than Obama, using the game to bolster achievements. Asked how golf enabled success in 2017, press ...

Who was the president who criticized Obama for playing golf?

For years, President Donald Trump criticized his predecessor Barack Obama for playing golf while on the job.

Who is the press secretary for golf?

Asked how golf enabled success in 2017, press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders pointed to his relationships with senators that "helped pushed forward the president’s agenda, specifically when it comes to helping get the tax reform and tax cuts passed.".

Who pays for Trump's trips to clubs?

Not only are the American people paying the bill for Trump’s many trips to his clubs, but the president is profiting from those trips.

What was Donald Trump's favorite attack line?

After Trump rode down his tacky escalator in 2015 to announce his candidacy for president, one of his favorite attack lines on the campaign trail was about how Barack Obama golfed too much.

How much has the Secret Service spent on Trump's golf?

The group Property of the People recently revealed payments totaling $254,021 from the Secret Service to various Trump properties in just the first five months of his presidential tenure. Over that period, Trump had golfed 25 times. As of Wednesday, he has spent 223 days at a golf course he owns. If the first five months are an accurate indicator, that means the Secret Service has likely spent nearly $2.3 million in taxpayer money at Trump’s businesses, of which he is the sole owner.

How much does Donald Trump's golf cost?

With his Thanksgiving vacation, President Donald Trump ’s golf hobby has now cost Americans an estimated $115 million in travel and security expenses ― the equivalent of 287 years of the presidential salary he frequently boasts about not taking.

Why can't the White House determine how many Trump aides are staying at his properties?

The exact amount cannot be determined because the White House refuses to reveal how many Trump aides have been staying at his properties when he visits them and will not turn over receipts for the charges incurred.

Where is Donald Trump spending Thanksgiving?

27, 2019. Trump is spending Thanksgiving week at his nearby Mar-a-Lago estate. With his Thanksgiving vacation, President Donald ...

How many days did Obama spend on golf?

At this point in Obama’s first term, he had spent 88 days on a golf course. But Trump’s visit to his course in West Palm Beach on Wednesday was his 223rd day at one of his own courses ― two and a half times as many golfing days as Obama.

How much did Trump's trip to Scotland cost?

Of that, $1.2 million was just the expense of renting all the additional vehicles needed by the massive entourage that a foreign trip entails.

Where is Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort?

In response to a HuffPost query on Wednesday asking if she knew how many administration officials other than herself are staying at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, during his Thanksgiving stay, and how much it is all costing, White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham responded with a one-word answer: “No.”

How much money did Donald Trump spend on golf?

Several analyses have calculated that Trump, as of October 2019, incurred around $109 million in taxpayer spending related to his golf outings, which is close to the amount of money a president would make if he were being paid $400,000 annually for 278.5 years.

How many times has Donald Trump golfed?

As of Sep. 21 2020, according to Trump Golf Count, Trump has golfed 279 times during his presidency, costing taxpayers an estimated 141 million dollars. With the same caveats described above, this would amount to 352.5 presidential salaries as of late September 2020.

Is Germain's estimate in the ballpark?

That being said, Kessler noted that Germain’s estimates were “in the ballpark” of figure s released by the Government Accountability Office. Still, he argues that “one cannot fairly attribute all of these costs to golf, given the round-the-clock security required for a president.”.

Is there a single correct number for Trump's golf outings?

However, no single, correct number exists regarding the cost of Trump’s golf outings due to the multiple ways one can approach this question. Further, the level of precision implied by the figure “278.5 years” is not reflective of reality, given the assumptions made in the calculations.

How much does Trump's golf trip cost?

So far Trump’s golf trips have cost at least $105 million. Trump’s trips to his golf courses are very expensive and much more than Obama’s since Trump’s have been more frequent and usually requires Air Force One and all the accompanying security arraignments.

How many rounds of golf has Donald Trump played?

As can be seen in the chart below from trumpgolfcount.com, Trump has played at least 88 rounds of golf since he became President, has likely played 139 and has visited golf courses over 193 days. These compare to Obama’s 76 outings over the same timeframe.

Why did Trump play golf?

One reason Trump has been able to play so much golf is that he inherited an economy that was in very good shape vs. Obama taking office in the teeth of the Great Recession.

How much did Trump spend on Mar-a-Lago?

The GAO report estimated that just four of Trump’s trips to Mar-a-Lago cost: 1 $13.6 million 2 Do not “capture all of the total expenditures by the government” 3 Do not “include certain classified cost information” 4 $60,000 in expenses paid to Mar-a-Lago (there have been 24 so far) 5 Were not able to identify meals and incidental expenses, if any, that may have been incurred at the Mar-a-Lago club

How much money did Donald Trump make in 8 years?

106 times Trump’s $400,000 salary over 8 years combined (which he is donating back to the government) Almost twice the $190 million annual cost for the Peace Corps. $25 million more than the $315 million annual cost for the General Accounting Office.

Is Trump's golf more expensive than Obama's?

Trump’s trips to his golf courses are very expensive and much more than Obama’s since Trump’s have been more frequent and usually requires Air Force One and all the accompanying security arraignments.

Did Mueller's team bring in more than it spent?

But in reality Mueller’s team brought in more than it spent due to acquiring enough of Manafort’s assets to more than pay the full cost

How many days has Trump been on a golf course?

By contrast, Knoller said, Trump has spent all or part of 248 days at a golf course. CNN's own count has Trump at 266 days spending some time at a Trump golf course. Since Trump and his aides often refuse to confirm that he actually played golf during a visit to a golf club, even when he has been spotted in golf attire, ...

How many rounds did Obama play?

Obama played 333 rounds during his eight years as president, according to Knoller. In other words, Obama played golf once every 8.77 days as president. Trump, conversely, has been at a golf club once every 4.92 days so far.

Why did Trump denounce the media?

Trump denounced the media, which he called "sick with hatred and dishonesty," for supposedly failing to mention that Saturday was his first time golfing in three months. (CNN, among other outlets, did note that it was his first golf outing since March 8.) Trump also accused the media of failing to talk about "all of the time Obama spent on ...

Why did Trump say he would never see his property again?

Trump said at an August 2016 campaign rally that he may never see his properties again if he was elected, explaining, "Because I'm going to be working for you, I'm not going to have time to go play golf." And in an October 2016 speech, Trump said Obama's struggles to pass legislation were a result of excessive golfing.

Did Trump play golf?

Facts First: Trump has spent much more time playing golf than Obama did through this point of the term -- after repeatedly attacking Obama's golfing and claiming he would not play if he got elected himself. Just Trump's airplane trips to his Mar-a-Lago Club and residence in Florida, from which he has often taken a motorcade ride to a nearby golf course he owns, have required far more air travel than Obama's once-a-year Hawaii vacations did through this point in the term.

How many times did Donald Trump visit the golf course?

By this May 25, the president had visited a Trump golf course 266 times, CNN reported.

Who keeps track of Trump golfing?

Sophie Germain has kept track of the president's golfing and its costs at the Trump Golf Count site since his 2017 inauguration. USA TODAY has reached out to her for comment.

How many golf trips did Trump make to Bedminster?

Trump has played golf during 24 of 96 trips to Bedminster since the beginning of his presidency, according to a table maintained by TrumpGolfCount.com. But Kessler questioned the practice of attributing travel costs for the president and his support staff exclusively to golf.

How much did Trump pay per hour in 2019?

The rate was $165,000 per hour in 2019, according to the Pentagon, as reported by USA TODAY. Post reporter Philip Bump reported Trump made 19 trips to Mar-a-Lago between January 2017 and February 2019.

How much did Trump spend on Mar-a-Lago?

Using the same data for a February 2019 report, the Washington Post estimated Trump's trips to Mar-a-Lago alone cost the U.S. taxpayer approximately $64 million during his first two years in office. Roughly $10.6 million was spent on operating costs for government aircraft and boats and $3 million on temporary duty costs including transportation, ...

Does Trump own Bedminster?

As for Trump's trips to Bedminster: The president owns a house in the New Jersey suburb, so members of the press are not allowed access to the club, according to Trump Golf Count .

Is golf a primary form of exercise for Trump?

The Washington Post, July 20, 2018: "Trump says golf is his ‘primary form of exercise.’ We talked to an expert about how effective that is."

How much did Donald Trump raise his golf tab?

President Donald Trump returned to Mar-a-Lago on Friday evening for the 29th golf-related trip of his presidency to his for-profit Palm Beach, Florida, resort, raising his total taxpayer golf tab to $133.8 million.

How much does the Secret Service charge for Mar-a-Lago?

The Washington Post found recently that Trump’s business has charged the Secret Service as much as $650 a room per night at Mar-a-Lago ― more than three times the normal rate that federal employees are supposed to spend in South Florida ― and $17,000 a month for a cottage at Trump’s Bedminster, New Jersey, resort. During an early Mar-a-Lago visit, White House employees ran up a $1,006 bar tab, which taxpayers also paid.

When will Trump leave the White House?

President Donald Trump departs from the White House for a weekend trip to Mar-a-Lago on Jan. 31, 2020. And because Trump insists on playing at courses he owns, the cost to taxpayers has been nearly four times as high as it was for Obama.

How much money did Obama use for vacations?

The post alleges Obama planned to use $2.1 billion in taxpayer funds, taken from the “Office of Presidential Visits and Vacations,” to provide himself and up to 24 family guests — including a dog sitter — with “free vacations” until 2036.

How much did the Obama family spend on vacation?

Right-leaning government watchdog Judicial Watch determined the Obama family spent about $114.7 million on travel, for both vacation and campaigning purposes, as of Nov. 27, 2017. Roughly $1.9 million of that figure took place after he left office on Jan. 20, 2017.

How many vacations did Obama take?

Obama took 29 vacation trips, totaling 235 total days, and 39 trips to Camp David, totaling 93 days, according to former CBS News’ White House reporter Mark Knoller, who has tallied vacation statistics on the presidents he’s covered. He includes vacations plus "weekend days that presidents are away from Washington," the story states.

How many days did Bill Clinton take off?

Bill Clinton took 345 days off in eight years; George H.W. Bush took off 543 days in four years. As of Dec. 30, 2019, Trump had spent nearly one third of the days he’d been president at a Trump-branded property, according to a Washington Post analysis.

Is the Obama vacation scam over?

The Facebook post proclaims that the “OBAMA VACATION SCAM IS OVER,” after Trump allegedly sent former President Barack Obama a bill for all the vacations he's taken since leaving office and stopped Obama from taking “taxpayer-paid vacations” that Obama supposedly planned for himself for the next 20 years.

Why did Melania Trump pay $675,000 for her travel?

PolitiFact | Melania Trump’s $675,000 travel bill was to care for her son, not to get her hair done.

How much did Michelle Obama's solo travel cost?

Records obtained by the conservative watchdog group Judicial Watch revealed that Michelle Obama’s solo travel cost taxpayers an average of $350,000 a year, or about half of what Melania Trump accrued between January and April 2017.

How much did Melania Trump spend on hair?

"In 3 months, Melania took 21 trips to NY, to get her hair done, at taxpayer cost of $675,000 or $32,143/trip," it claimed. The post cited figures from a Wall Street Journal ...

How much did the First Lady spend on flights?

Military flight records show that the first lady spent $675,000 on 21 trips between Washington, Florida and New York. However, she frequently traveled to New York to take care of her son, Barron, not "to get her hair done."

How many flights did the First Lady take?

The post cited figures from a Wall Street Journal article, which used military records to show that the first lady took 21 flights between New York Florida, and Washington, D.C., in the first three months of Donald Trump’s presidency.

Did Melania Trump spend money?

As the Wall Street Journal notes, there have been no allegations that Melania Trump spent money improperly.

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