Trump's Florida Trips Don't Come Cheap For Taxpayers

Donald Trump's regular jaunts to his club in Mar-a-Lago, Florida, appear to be costing taxpayers a small fortune. According to Washington Post estimates based on an an October 2016 Government Accountability Office analysis of White House travel, the president's three trips have probably cost the federal Treasury about $10 million.

By comparison, Barack Obama's travel expenses only averaged $12.1 million during each of his eight years in the White House. In total, the travel bill during Obama's presidency came to $97 million and incredibly, Donald Trump is on course to outspend him in less than one year. The Washington Post reported that "the elaborate lifestyle of America’s first family is straining the Secret Service and security officials, stirring financial and logistical concerns in several local communities, and costing far beyond what has been typical for previous presidents." When Trump sat down for his first formal interview after his election victory (on CBS's 60 Minutes), the president-elect said, "I don't think we'll be very big on vacations, no." However, after a chaotic and stressful start to life in the White House, he might have changed his mind.