Former President Donald Trump's frequent trips to his New Jersey golf club during his presidency cost taxpayers more than $2 million.
How Trump Spent $2.4 Million
In a recently published article in Newsweek, former Pres. Donald Trump spent a total of 99 days at the Bedminster club while serving as the country's commander-in-chief. This led to millions of expenses according to the report.
The overwhelming bulk of the large amount was used to pay the expenses of Secret Service personnel' lodgings in the surrounding region, totaling $1.9 million. The Secret Service spent over $35,000 on accommodations at Trump's Bedminister estate.
Additionally, the $2.4 million number does not include the cost of flying Air Force One, which is said to cost about $142,000 each hour, according to a recently published article in a local news outlet NJ.com.
Trump Visited Golf Courses More Than 300 Times
Trump's frequent visits to his golf clubs attracted significant attention and criticism, especially because the former president often chastised his predecessor former President Barack Obama for golfing while in office.
It can be remembered that during his presidential campaign in 2016, Trump stated that if he were elected, he would not have time to play golf.
Meanwhile, during his four-year administration, the former president visited golf courses approximately 300 times. Trump was revealed to have played golf 150 times while in the White House, compared to 127 times during Obama's first four years in office, according to a published report in News Report Daily.
Trump's Expenses Was Spent For His Protection During His Term
In a recently published article in Yahoo Finance, President Donald Trump's frequent trips to his New Jersey golf club cost taxpayers more than $2 million and the large volume of it was spent not through his personal expenses but for his protection.
The expenses are still justifiable because former presidents are entitled to certain privileges under federal law and the Former Presidents Act, which was established to "maintain the dignity" of the Office of the President. These advantages include Secret Service security for themselves.
Only Trump, his wife, and their 14-year-old son would be eligible for the protections under the legislation. However, according to the former president's request, taxpayer-funded protection for his daughter Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner, son Donald Trump Jr., son Eric Trump and his wife Lara Trump, and daughter Tiffany Trump will continue.
It was also reported that Trump family members made over 4,500 travels that required the Secret Service to accompany them, costing taxpayers tens of millions of dollars in 2017-2019.
Meanwhile, the Secret Service alone spent approximately $1.3 million on each of Trump's first four visits to Mar-a-Lago in 2017; and for just one month in 2017, Trump's travel expenses totaled $13.6 million, including Secret Service, Department of Defense, and the cost of renting space and equipment.
Although quite expensive, this is the privilege that the former first family in the country. The bulk of expenditures that went to the family's Secret Service for their protection is also mandated under the law.
