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- President Donald Trump’s trips to golf courses in Florida, New Jersey, Los Angeles, and Scotland have cost cost taxpayers $102 million, according to a report from Huffington Post.
- At $102 million, the cost is 255 times more than the annual presidential salary that Trump declined to take.
- A breakdown of estimated costs showed that Trump’s two dozen trips to Florida have cost $81 million, 15 trips to New Jersey have cost $17 million, one LA trip cost $1 million, and his Scotland trip cost $3 million.
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President Donald Trump’s frequent trips to the golf course have cost taxpayers $102 million in travel and security expenses, according to a report from Huffington Post.
Using figures from the Government Accountability Office, HuffPost calculated the cost of trips Trump took to golf courses in Florida, New Jersey, Los Angeles, and Scotland since he took office in 2017.
A breakdown of estimated costs showed that Trump’s two dozen trips to Florida have cost $81 million, 15 trips to New Jersey have cost $17 million, one LA trip cost $1 million, and his Scotland trip cost $3 million.
At $102 million, the cost is 255 times more than the annual presidential salary that Trump declined to take.
The number is still growing, with Trump traveling to Ireland next month, where he will play at his golf course in Doonbeg.
Read more: Trump says he won’t work with Democrats until they drop their ‘phony investigations’ into him
Trump has played golf or visited his clubs in Virginia, New Jersey, and Florida, well over 100 times since becoming president.
Before taking office, he often criticized former President Barack Obama for his golf outings and vacations.
Obama racked up $30 million in out-of-town golf expenses while in office, HuffPost reported, more than $70 million less than Trump has in just two years.
The White House has previously defended Trump’s visits to Mar-a-Lago, where he has golfed on numerous occasions, but has also met with world leaders and conducted business.
"He is not vacationing when he goes to Mar-a-Lago," White House spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham told the Washington Post in 2017. "The president works nonstop every day of the week, no matter where he is."
During his 2016 presidential campaign, Trump promised voters that he wouldn’t golf while on their dime.
"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," he said at a rally February 2016, referencing golf courses. "I don’t ever think I’d see anything. I just want to stay in the White House and work my a— off."
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Source: Business Insider – kmclaughlin@businessinsider.com (Kelly McLaughlin)