How much did Obama spend on golf trips this year?
In February, Obama spent President's Weekend golfing with male friends in Palm Springs. At $206,000 per flight hour, that trip set taxpayers back $1.03 million. In March, Obama flew down to Palm City, Florida for another long golf weekend with friends.
How much did the Obama family spend on travel expenses?
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.
Did president Obama ever play golf as president?
As this image macro was largely concerned with comparing President Obama’s golf habits to President Trump’s, let’s take a brief look at President Obama’s golfing stats. President Obama played his first round of golf as President on 26 April 2009, more than three months after he took office.
How did Judicial Watch get Obama administration travel expenses?
Judicial Watch obtained the expense documents from the U.S. Air Force and the Secret Service through a Freedom of Information Act request, and two FOIA lawsuits. They represent the known totals so far, and there could be more Obama administration travel expenses revealed in the future.
How much did Obama pay to play golf with Tiger Woods?
Taxypayers paid $4 million for President Obama to play golf with Tiger Woods. Did Tiger Woods and President Barack Obama play golf together in a February 2013 mini-jaunt, that cost the U.S. taxpayer $4 million dollars?
How much did the 2013 presidential trip cost?
A presidential trip taken in February 2013 incurred an estimated cost of $3.6 million.
What did GAO examine?
GAO examined cost data from DOD and DHS on aircraft operating costs, per diem expenses, and other significant costs. Additionally, GAO interviewed knowledgeable officials from the White House, DOD, and DHS who were involved in supporting presidential travel. GAO also examined relevant guidance.
Why does the President fly on military aircraft?
Why GAO Did This Study. According to White House officials, to be able to communicate instantly with the U.S. military, the President flies on military aircraft whenever he travels — whether for official, political, or other non-official reasons.
Where did the President travel in 2013?
You requested that we examine DOD’s and DHS’s (Secret Service and Coast Guard) costs associated with the President’s February 15, 2013, Letter Page 2 GAO-17-24 Presidential Travel through February 18, 2013 travel to Illinois and Florida. On February 15, 2013, the President flew from Joint Base Andrews in Maryland to Chicago, Illinois. The President delivered remarks at Hyde Park Academy and discussed economic proposals introduced in the State of the Union address given on February 12, 2013. Afterwards, the President flew from Chicago to Palm Beach, Florida, before returning to Joint Base Andrews on February 18, 2013. No public events were scheduled while the President was in Florida; White House officials stated the President was on vacation during this time. This report provides information on the major costs incurred by DOD and DHS for the President’s February 15, 2013, through February 18, 2013, travel.
Is presidential travel expensive?
Any presidential travel is necessarily costly in general (from an accounting standpoint, at least), but we note in a separate article that estimated expenses for presidential air travel are based on an accounting formula that is often highly misleading about the true costs involved.
How much did Obama's golf outings cost?
Obama's golf outings cost you $20,000 per hole. Just two of Barack Obama's golf outings last spring cost taxpayers more than $1.8 million, according to government expense documents released by the watchdog agency Judicial Watch.
How many international trips did the Obamas take?
The Obama first couple has traveled more than any other first family, often with Mrs. Obama's mother and her friends. By the summer of 2014 the Obamas had taken 31 international trips lasting 119 days. At the same point in his presidency, Ronald Reagan had taken 14 such trips over 73 days.
How much did the political junkets cost taxpayers?
While additional political fundraising junkets in the same period boosted costs to taxpayers above $4.4 million. And that's just for transportation. It does not include expenses for security, which the Secret Service refuses to divulge.
Where did the Obama ladies go?
Last March as the president enjoyed his Florida golf junket, the Obama ladies visited Cambodia and Japan, where they incurred a $79,000 rental car bill during a one-day visit to two Kyoto shrines.
How many trips did Ronald Reagan take?
At the same point in his presidency, Ronald Reagan had taken 14 such trips over 73 days. When the family visited Ireland in 2013, taxpayers were hit for just under $8 million, including a quarter-million dollars for a two-day side-trip to Dublin for the Obama women.
How did Judicial Watch obtain the documents from the Air Force and the Secret Service?
Judicial Watch obtained the expense documents from the U.S. Air Force and the Secret Service through a Freedom of Information Act request , and two FOIA lawsuits. They represent the known totals so far, and there could be more Obama administration travel expenses revealed in the future.
How much did the Secret Service cost in 2014?
Among the big-ticket trips were two family vacations during the weekend of February 14, 2014, that cost the Secret Service $272,192. That weekend, former first lady Michelle Obama went on an annual trip to Aspen with her daughters and shut down its airport; the total cost was $88,663.29.
Why did Judicial Watch sue?
Judicial Watch sued because the Air Force and Secret Service did not respond to its public records requests in time, as required by law.
How much did Obama's family travel cost?
Former President Barack Obama's family travels cost the U.S. a total of $114 million during his presidency, according to documents obtained by Judicial Watch, a conservative legal group.
Where did Donald Trump go to golf?
To celebrate his 100th day in office, Trump flew to a rally in Pennsylvania, costing $156,618. Days later, he went to his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, which came out to $224,765.80. In June, he flew again to Bedminster, racking up a $199,332 bill.
When did Trump leave Air Force One?
President Donald Trump waves goodbye from the door of Air Force One before departing from Noi Bai International Airport, in Hanoi, Vietnam, on November 12. REUTERS/Minh Hoang. When she campaigned for Hillary Clinton in North Carolina, the former first lady racked up a bill of $40,902.40.
Does Newsweek require lawsuits?
Newsweek subscription offers >. "It shouldn't require federal lawsuits to...prod the Secret Service and Air Force to produce information about the costs of presidential travel—whether the travel is necessary or not, it's a massive amount of money," the organization's president, Tom Fitton, said in a statement.
When did Obama play golf?
President Obama played his first round of golf as President on 26 April 2009, more than three months after he took office.
Why did Trump criticize Obama?
Trump frequently criticized Obama during the latter’s eight years in the White House for spending too much time on vacation and on the golf course. However, we had a hard time verifying that Trump had issued 38 separate Twitter complaints on the subject over the last three years:
How many times did Trump complain about Obama?
We searched Trump’s Twitter feed for the terms “golf,” “golfing,” “vacation,” and “vacationing” and found that he had complained about his predecessor’s leisure activities about 15 times between 2014 and 2017. Trump’s gripes about Obama predate 2014, but we used that year as a beginning point since the image macro specified a three-year span.
Does Trump have golf partners?
The Trump administration does not disclose his golf partners, except for the day he played with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan and the South African pro, Ernie Els, about which Mr. Trump tweeted himself. It declines even to confirm Mr. Trump is actually swinging at a tee when his motorcade disappears behind the towering palm trees and crested gates of his clubs.
Did the Obamas get recalled?
Our President immediately canceled the plans and recalled all Secret Service agents scheduled to protect the Obamas anywhere outside of the United States. The Obamas, who are still waiting in Kenya for their documents so they can re-enter the country, are also facing another new challenge at the hands of Trump: They’re going to have to repay the government for all of those vacations that weren’t official state business.
Did Obama take money from the Office of Presidential Visits and Vacations?
According to the story, former President Barack Obama had taken funds from the “Office of Presidential Visits and Vacations” to pay for vacations for himself, his family, and two dozen staff members through the year 2036. Once the “scam” was uncovered, the article said, Trump allegedly sent a bill to Obama to repay the money used ...
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 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.
Where is Donald Trump's golf course?
It's also worth noting that Trump's trips -- like his Saturday and Sunday visits to the Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Virginia -- have almost exclusively been to resort properties and golf courses his company owns.
Was Donald Trump a critic of Obama's golfing?
Trump, now lashing out against criticism of his own golfing, was a vocal critic of Obama's golfing. He promised that he would be different as president.
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 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.
How many rounds did Obama play golf?
However, Obama upped the average frequency of his golf trips later in his presidency. When all was said and done, Obama had golfed 333 rounds during his eight years in office. At his current rate—golfing an average of once every 9.2 days—Trump will have golfed roughly 40 times fewer than Obama, who golfed an average of once every 8.7 days ...
How much did Obama spend on golf?
After 2,360 days in office, taxpayers were on the hook for $44 million for Obama’s golf outings. In just 203 days, Trump’s trips to his golf resorts have already cost $57 million, according to TrumpGolfCount.com.
How many times has Trump broken his promise?
While that promise has already been broken more than 20 times since Trump was inaugurated in January, it’s also worth noting that Trump has already surpassed the amount of taxpayer money spent during his golf outings. But that doesn’t tell the full story.
Did Donald Trump play golf during Obama's term?
Golf trips were a major point of contention for conservatives during President Barack Obama ’s terms—so much so that then-candidate Donald Trump claimed he wouldn’t “have time to go play golf” if elected president.
Who is Andrew Wyrich?
Andrew Wyrich. Andrew Wyrich is the deputy tech editor at the Daily Dot. Andrew has written for USA Today, NorthJersey.com, and other newspapers and websites. His work has been recognized by the Society of the Silurians, Investigative Reporters & Editors (IRE), and the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ).
Who is the official photographer for Obama?
We reached out to Pete Souza, Obama’s official White House photographer, to determine if he had ever seen his former boss with a suspiciously large amount of hot dogs. He told us, “I shot almost two million photographs as the Chief Official White House Photographer during my eight years in the Obama administration.
Did Trump serve McDonald's to the Tigers?
In January 2019, President Trump was criticized for serving items from McDonald’s, Burger King, and other fast food spots to the Clemson Tigers during a White House celebration of the football team’s NCAA Championship. While a number of pundits defended Trump, saying the controversy was overblown, the conspiracy theory website InfoWars went a step further and maintained that the criticism was hypocritical, claiming that former President Barack Obama had once purchased $65,000 worth of hot dogs for a private party:
Did Obama buy hot dogs?
The notion that President Obama purchased $65,000 worth of hot dogs for a private party came from a single email chain published by Wikileaks in October 2012 as part of the so-called “Global Intelligence Files.” This email was not sent by President Obama or any member of his administration; rather, the email chain, dated 14 May 2009, involved various employees at the intelligence company Stratfor discussing a “Chicago Hot Dog Party.”
Did Obama serve hot dogs at the Super Bowl?
It’s possible that the original Stratfor email was misstating the facts about a Super Bowl viewing party hosted by President Obama at the White House in February 2009. The president did serve hot dogs at that party (as well as brownies, hot fudge ice cream, pizza, soft pretzels, chicken sandwiches, etc.), but we found no reports stating that he purchased $65,000 worth of hot dogs (at $3 a dog, that’s more than 20,000 hot dogs) or that the treats were flown in from Chicago.