President Trump’s weekend vacations to Mar-a-Lago in Florida are costing taxpayers millions, and he’s only been in office over a month. According to Judicial Watch, a conservative group that tracks presidential vacation costs, Trump is already well on his way to overspending what President Obama and his family did while in office.
Trump vowed not to take any vacation due to so much work in Washington, D.C., requiring his attention, but he’s made weekly trips to his “winter White House” in Palm Beach, Florida, three times at a cost of $3 million a pop to taxpayers. Add to that, the cost of protecting his entire family that includes grown children. The Washington Post published a report stating that it’s a “ logistical nightmare ” for the Secret Service and other agencies to protect the Trumps and the president’s weekend mini-vacations don’t help.
Aside from what’s viewed as Trump taking a vacation every weekend, there’s the cost of protecting the first lady and 10-year-old Barron. It’s estimated to run about $500,000 a day. The Post reports that the Defense Department and Secret Service have looked into renting space in Trump Tower, where leasing a floor costs $1.5 million a year.
Melania and Barron will move to the White House after Barron finishes the school year in June.
President Trump’s trips to Mar-a-Lago have cost $10 million and your taxes are paying for it: https://t.co/py5FvH6Fbm pic.twitter.com/GVPQNxwdcX
— Marie Claire (@marieclaire) February 17, 2017
White House spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham told The Post that President Trump isn’t on vacation when he goes to Mar-a-Lago on the weekends.
“He is not vacationing when he goes to Mar-a-Lago. The president works nonstop every day of the week, no matter where he is.”
A few weeks ago Trump hosted Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his wife Akie Abe at Mar-a-Lago. The president was criticized for taking a phone call in the middle of a dinner meeting at the time since it was a presidential matter.
Tom Fitton, president of Judicial Watch, says that this is “an expensive way to conduct business, and the president should recognize that.”
In President Obama’s eight years in office, it cost taxpayers a grand total of $97 million. It’s predicted that Trump’s vacations and family protection will easily cost that amount within two years — and hundreds of millions of dollars more within eight years.
These assessments are ironic given the fact Trump excoriated Obama for being a “habitual vacationer” and always attacking him on Twitter for playing golf.
Jonathan Wackrow, a 14-year Secret Service employee who worked with President Obama’s detail, said it’s a “logistical nightmare” for agents to protect the Trumps’ multiple homes and four adult children. The president’s two sons, Eric and Donald, Jr. travel abroad often to conduct business. On their recent trip to Uruguay, hotel costs for the Secret Service and other personnel cost an additional $100,000.
Trump is reportedly experiencing ‘cabin fever’ in the White House https://t.co/cc7Ms0o5Hy pic.twitter.com/PtYDDX0fUU
— Business Insider (@businessinsider) February 19, 2017
Why does President Trump insist on taking two-day vacations to Mar-a-Lago every weekend? Business Insider reports that a Trump advisor said the president experiences “ cabin fever ” in the White House and misses the freedom of leaving Trump Tower in New York City for a nice restaurant dinner. He’s now in a world where he feels confined and its surroundings aren’t yet familiar to him. The president is allegedly suffering from headaches and frustration over the monumental adjustments in Washington, D.C.
President Trump’s perceived weekend vacations is outraging a lot of people, incensed that they’re paying for Air Force One to fly back and forth to Mar-a-Lago every weekend. Air Force One costs $200,000 an hour to run.
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