President Donald Trump, who has been in office less than 90 days, has racked up an impressive travel bill for his frequent trips to his private Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida. Since taking office in January, Trump has spent 21 days at what he has dubbed the winter White House.
Before becoming president, Trump was a frequent critic of President Barack Obama’s golf outings and family vacations and would take to Twitter to point out how much the trips cost the taxpayers. Despite his criticism, Trump could soon surpass what Obama spent on travel during his entire time in office.
When security and other factors are taken into consideration, each of Trump’s trips to his Florida estate is estimated to cost taxpayers $3.6 million for a total of just over $21 million since the inauguration. That means he could eclipse Obama’s eight-year travel spending of $97 million within a few months.
Trump’s willingness to spend so much on personal travel is raising eyebrows given the fact that his proposed budget seeks to eliminate or significantly cut funding to numerous federal agencies and programs. To further the public relations problem, officials in New York City say that it costs the city anywhere from $127,000 and $146,000 a day to protect First Lady Melania Trump and the couple’s young son Barron who continue to live in the city at least through the end of the school year.
The Trump family’s frequent travel and complicated living arrangements are also straining the human resources of the Secret Service and Department of Homeland Security. Agents are being diverted from other tasks and are being asked to work longer hours in order to provide protection for the large Trump family.
It is believed that Trump may reduce his visits to Mar-a-Lago in favor of his properties in New York City and New Jersey as the weather in Florida gets hotter. As president-elect, Trump frequently traveled between his New York City penthouse and New Jersey golf club while interviewing potential cabinet picks.