Taxpayers Footing Over $100 Million Bill for Trump’s Golf Escapades
WASHINGTON — The financial toll of President Donald Trump’s golf outings has surged past $101.2 million in travel and security expenses since he resumed office, a staggering figure that represents two-thirds of his total golf-related costs from his first term. Analysts predict he could reach $300 million by the end of his current term.
Trump's latest visit to his West Palm Beach golf course on Saturday marked his 56th trip since his inauguration in 2025, equating to over a quarter of his days in office spent on the greens. “While Americans grapple with soaring gas prices and a deepening affordability crisis, the president has squandered over $100 million of taxpayer money for promotional appearances at his own golf courses,” stated Jordan Libowitz from Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. “If he truly aimed to assist struggling citizens, he might consider halting his extravagant spending on golf.”
During his first term, Trump took two years to reach the $100 million mark, playing golf 293 days at his own courses, costing taxpayers $151.5 million. The figures for his current term are derived from a report submitted to Congress during his initial presidency.
In this second term, Trump has made 17 trips solely to Mar-a-Lago, his Palm Beach residence, which is conveniently located near his golf courses. Additionally, he has made seven more trips that included at least one other destination. For instance, last weekend, he traveled from Florida to Memphis for a speech before returning to Washington.
His trips to Bedminster, New Jersey, have cost taxpayers approximately $1.1 million each, while visits to his Doral resort in Florida have racked up expenses of about $2.7 million per trip.
Mar-a-Lago stands out as the most expensive destination, costing $3.4 million per visit due to extensive security measures required for both the Atlantic Ocean and the Intracoastal Waterway. A Coast Guard vessel is stationed offshore whenever Trump is present, accompanied by armed law enforcement boats patrolling the waterways.
The priciest outing recorded was a $9.7 million trip to his Scottish resorts last summer, coinciding with the grand opening of a new course at his Aberdeen property—an event that received promotional support from White House staff.
Recently, the White House has begun labeling Trump’s golf outings as “executive time,” a term that appears frequently in his public schedule. When questioned about whether this implies leisure activities during these times, the White House press office provided an unsigned statement: “Executive time refers to executive time.”
The analysis conducted utilizes data from a 2019 Government Accountability Office report on Trump’s early golf trips, which revealed that four visits to Mar-a-Lago in early 2017 cost taxpayers $13.6 million. This report detailed various components contributing to the total, including security expenses and the costs associated with flying Air Force One.
In this second term, the primary factors driving the high costs of Trump’s golfing hobby—Air Force One flights, C-17 transport needs, and salaries for protective services—remain unchanged and may have even escalated.
Despite military and law enforcement salaries not keeping pace with inflation, HuffPost refrained from adjusting figures to current dollars. However, it is clear that actual costs exceed the unadjusted totals from 2019.
Before his election in 2016, Trump often criticized former President Barack Obama’s golfing habits and claimed he would be too busy to play golf. Following his 2020 election loss and subsequent events, he has also criticized President Joe Biden for frequent trips to Delaware.
However, Obama’s golfing expenses were significantly lower than Trump’s because he primarily played at Joint Base Andrews, just a short motorcade ride from the White House. Biden’s travel costs are also reduced as he uses smaller aircraft compared to the modified Boeing 747 that Trump employs for his Florida excursions, which costs $273,063 per hour to operate.
