President Donald Trump’s golf travel has cost taxpayers nearly $71 million since January, as Americans scramble to afford basic groceries.
The total could climb past $300 million by the end of his second term, according to a new analysis by HuffPost.
Trump, a massive golf fan, made his 16th trip of the year to Mar-a-Lago on Wednesday.
Highlights
- Since January, Trump's golf trips have cost taxpayers nearly $71 million, with total expenses possibly exceeding $300 million by term end.
- Each golf trip averages $3.4 million in travel and security, primarily driven by expensive Air Force One flights and military support.
- Trump made 16 trips this year alone, including 9 visits to Bedminster, each costing $1.1 million, and an expensive trip to Scotland.
Trump's golf travels have cost taxpayers nearly $71 million since January
Image credits: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
Each visit costs about $3.4 million in travel and security, based on Government Accountability Office estimates from 2019. They have already added up to $70.8 million.
If Trump makes two more trips in December, his 2025 tally would rise above $75 million, putting him on track to surpass $300 million over four years.
During his first term, Trump spent $151.5 million in taxpayer money on golf-related travel and security. His second-term pace is far higher.
In addition to his Mar-a-Lago travel, Trump made nine trips to his Bedminster, New Jersey, resort at about $1.1 million each, and one trip to promote his course in Aberdeen, Scotland, which cost nearly $10 million.
Most expenses come from military and law enforcement support.
Image credits: United States Government Accountability Office
Those costs have likely risen with inflation, meaning the true totals may be higher than Huffington Post’s estimates, which rely on 2019 figures.
Security at Mar-a-Lago is especially expensive. The property sits between the Intracoastal Waterway to the West and the Atlantic Ocean to the East. During Trump’s visits, small boats with machine guns patrol the waterway, and Coast Guard ships cruise offshore for security.
However, the highest single cost is Air Force One. The Boeing 747 that Trump uses costs about $273,063 per flight hour, adding up to $1.1 million for the round trip between Washington and Palm Beach.
Trips to Bedminster cost less because the local airport cannot support a 747. Trump instead uses the smaller 757, which is cheaper to operate and costs $1.1 million, rather than $3.4 million
This is why former presidents Joe Biden and Barack Obama used smaller aircraft or played golf closer to Washington, with both spending far less on the hobby.
Obama, who also played golf frequently, mainly played on the nearby course at Joint Base Andrews. Trump has never played golf there, but on Saturday, he took an aerial tour of it aboard Marine One.
That survey cost taxpayers approximately $115,000 and is not included in HuffPost’s $70.8 million overall golf total.
Trump campaigned in 2016 on a promise to avoid golfing as president, saying, “I love golf, but if I were in the White House, I don’t think I’d ever see Turnberry again. I don’t think I’d ever see Doral again. I don’t ever think I’d see anything. I just want to stay in the White House and work my ass off.”
He quickly broke that promise, playing golf for a total of 293 days of his first term.
The trips are estimated to surpass more than $300 million by the end of Trump's term
Image credits: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images
The latest analysis comes as Trump faces his lowest approval rating since returning to office. Polls show that many Americans are frustrated with the economy, especially persistent high prices and inflation.
Trump has also leveraged golf to strengthen relationships with political figures, including Finland’s president, Alexander Stubb, and U.S. senator Lindsey Graham, who have joined him on the course.
Trump’s most recent health assessment also highlighted his regular golfing as evidence of good physical condition.
“I really wish I could tell you that it would make anyone in America change their mind about him, but the corruption is so baked in, so endemic, and so ludicrous that it feels like the collective reaction will be a shrug,” Rick Wilson, a longtime Republican consultant, told Huffington Post.
“It’s one more example of Trump defining the presidency down. Way, way down.”