It’s no secret that Trump enjoys spending his downtime on the golf course. He’s known to visit Mar-a-Lago frequently on the weekends and has already spent a good chunk of time away from the White House during his second term.
Local authorities in Palm Beach also carry the extra burden of handling his security each time.
Now, the actual cost of these weekend escapes has been revealed. And it’s significant—especially considering Trump’s recent complaints about employees getting too many holidays.
According to Marca, by the end of March alone, his travel and leisure activities had racked up a total cost of $26 million to the American public. That figure reportedly climbed to nearly $30 million by early April.
Reports say the two-hour flight from Washington D.C. to Palm Beach International costs around a million dollars per trip when you add everything up, just for the travel alone.
He posted: “Too many non-working holidays in America. It is costing our Country $BILLIONS OF DOLLARS to keep all of these businesses closed.”
“The workers don’t want it either! Soon we’ll end up having a holiday for every once working day of the year. It must change if we are going to, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
“If we are gonna talk about efficiency… let’s talk about the fact that, as of March 30, Trump’s golfing has cost us approximately $26 million,” Texas Representative Jasmine Crockett pointed out during a House subcommittee hearing in April. “The last time I checked, we’re not getting anything in return for that.”
During Trump’s first term, the Government Accountability Office estimated that each Mar-a-Lago weekend trip averaged around $13.6 million. That estimate didn’t even include the $240,000 in overtime paid to Palm Beach County officers.
Speaking to county commissioners in February, Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said the job was no small task. He added: “They request it, and then we provide it. It’s expensive, but we don’t really have a choice.”
“We’ve already heard some information where he may be spending more time here than in Washington,” the sheriff said during that meeting. “Definitely you’re going to see him bringing in leaders from the world. That is a significant shift in the cost for security.”
