Washington – A pair of President Donald Trump’s recent weekend trips to his Mar-a-Lago resort cost taxpayers more than $1.2 million, new documents released by a conservative group show.
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The documents made public Thursday by Judicial Watch are some of the first to put even part of a price tag on Trump’s frequent visits to his Palm Beach, Florida, club. The numbers reflect only the costs associated with the president’s plane, Air Force One. Not included are expenses for Secret Service protection or support vehicles provided by the Department of Defense, which must be airlifted into place.
A Trump trip in early February cost about $670,000, and a second trip in March cost about $612,000, according to the U.S. Air Force, which operates and maintains Air Force One. He’s visited seven times as president.
Judicial Watch obtained the documents under the Freedom of Information Act. The group has spent years studying the cost of presidential travel and has argued that taxpayers are bearing far too much of the costs. Tom Fitton, president of the group, previously told The Associated Press that Trump should be transparent about the expense of his trips and should make the case to the American public that it is important for him to be at his resort.
Trump has used Mar-a-Lago — which not only is a vacation home but also a for-profit resort that charges $200,000 for memberships — to entertain foreign dignitaries and to meet with members of his Cabinet and senior leadership team.
Based on other travel reports for other presidents, Defense Department costs far exceed all other expenses related to such trips. Judicial Watch did not request that information, although its request for Secret Service expenses is pending, Judicial Watch said.
The Government Accountability Office agreed to a Democratic request to price out a few of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago trips, and its forthcoming report promises a more accurate estimate.
The conflict of interest is much more than the article says. He raised the annual membership by 100% after he won the election, so people are paying an extra $100,000 a year to have the chance to be around a President when he visits. Every time he visits, he is justifying that premium price, and it acts as lure for people to want to join, in order to possibly meet a president or his aides or foreign dignitaries.
A concrete example was when Trump crashed a wedding at his resort just this past February, dragging along Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Trump is on record as saying, “They’ve been members of this club for a long time. They’ve paid me a fortune … I saw them out on the lawn today and I said to the prime minister of Japan, I said, ‘C’mon Shinzo, let’s go over and say hello.’ “
And Mar-a-largo is just one of very many conflict of interest points Trump that has. An honestly conservative congress would already be in impeachment proceedings. Thanks, judicial watch, for being honestly conservative.
This is just the cost of doing business.
When…oh when…will this over the top imbecility justify outright fascism if it already hasn’t?
Why can’t Trump stay in the White House on weekends as other Presidents have?
By the way what was Obamas tab
For the record, #1 has the wrong numbers. The fee to join (initiation fee) was raised from $100,000 to $200,000. It does not affect existing members. Yearly membership dues is about $14,000
#5 Somehow I remember a plethora of reports on the cost of Obama’s vacations. In any case, these weekends of Trump are at least partly, and sometimes mainly, work meetings with foreign dignitaries. As far as I know, President Trump has not traveled outside the U.S. During the first four months of Obama, he traveled to Canada, throughout Europe and throughout the middle east. How much did that cost?
LBJ traveled frequently to his Texas ranch, as did Bush #43 ; Nixon traveled frequently to Key Biscayne and to California, JFK traveled to Hyannisport, Harry Truman would go to Key West, Carter would go to Plains, GA, Bush #41 would go to Maine, Obama, in addition to going to Hawaii, would make frequent trips to NYC, and other places, FDR would go to Hyde Park, etc. All Presidents need time off for rest. This biased article is typical of the media’s obsession to get Trump. There are many on this site who feel the same way. Even when Trump visits Eretz Israel on May 22nd, they will still be kvetching. A Shanda!!
It’s Trumps hypocrisy who monitored and tweeted repeatedly about Obama.Here are 2 samples:
michelle Obama’s luxurious Aspen vacation – her 16th – cost us over $1M
President @BarackObama’s vacation is costing taxpayers millions of dollars—-Unbelievable!
With 15% US real unemployment and a 16T debt,
He tweeted his objections 38 times from 2011 to 2014 about Obamas vacations
Meanwhile he takes one almost every week.