Trump Complains About Russia Probe Cost, Then Takes Golf Trip That Brings His Taxpayer Costs For Golf To $100M
Donald Trump took to Twitter on Friday morning to complain about the costs of the Russia investigation.
Just a few hours later, the president hit the golf course with conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh in a trip that brought him to a milestone — $100 million in taxpayer costs for his golf trips.
As The Hill reported, Trump jetted off to his luxury Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida for a long vacation weekend ahead of the Easter holiday. On Friday, the White House announced that Trump played golf with Limbaugh “and a couple of friends,” a rare admission from the White House that often refuses to comment on whether Trump is golfing even as he is spotted at his company’s golf clubs.
The trip likely brought Trump over the $100 million mark for his golf trips, a milestone he had been steadily approaching as he hit the links at a rate higher than any of his recent predecessors. The website Trump Golf Count had been tracking his visits and had pegged Trump’s total before Friday’s visit at more than $96 million in taxpayer costs. As a report from the Government Accountability Office had noted, Trump’s golf trips cost taxpayers nearly $3.4 million, which included the increased security needed from the Secret Service as well as travel costs for the president, who flies on Air Force One for his weekend getaways.
The Trump Golf Count website also takes a more conservative estimate of his golfing trips — estimating his golf visits at 169 while others like MSNBC producer Kyle Griffin pegging his total trips at 182 — meaning the taxpayer costs may have long ago surpassed $100 million.
Donald Trump was much more cost-conscious before the golf trip on Friday. Early in the morning he took to Twitter to blast the Russia probe, which had been made partially public on Thursday with the release of a redacted copy. Trump claimed vindication from the report, which detailed a series of contracts that his campaign made with Russia and actions Trump took in an attempt to interfere with the investigation, but stopped short of bringing charges against him.
Trump called the investigation — which detailed how Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election — a “big, fat waste of time, energy and money.” Trump then said the investigation was a waste of “$30,000 to be exact.” Trump then suggested that the “very sick and dangerous people” who committed “Spying or Treason” should be brought to justice.
Trump plays golf with Rush Limbaugh a day after Mueller report release https://t.co/IYgLIjgcrO
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) April 19, 2019
Donald Trump had frequently blasted Barack Obama for his golf trips, and promised repeatedly during the 2016 presidential campaign that he would have no time for golfing if he were to win the election. Donald Trump has golfed more than 180 times since taking office.
