President Donald Trump recently celebrated a golf victory, claiming it marked his 43rd career club championship. Trump announced this achievement following a win at his Bedminster, New Jersey, course, scoring 70. He expressed pride in the win, noting his limited time for practice due to other commitments. This announcement brought attention to Trump’s time on the golf course, highlighting the taxpayer cost of his golf-related travel and security, estimated near $115 million by independent trackers.
Trump and Golfing Costs
An independent source estimates Trump’s golf-related expenses during his second term at approximately $115 million. The site ‘Is Trump Golfing Today?’ tracks his itinerary using flight data and reports, totaling $114.97 million as of early August. Costs include $80.2 million for 59 days at Mar-a-Lago and West Palm Beach, $13.6 million for 34 days at Bedminster, New Jersey, $10 million for a Scotland trip, and $7 million for 47 days at his Washington-area course. Minor amounts cover visits to Jupiter, Florida.
The site’s estimates derive from a 2019 Government Accountability Office report. Early first-term trips to Mar-a-Lago averaged $3.4 million each largely due to Air Force One, Coast Guard patrols, and cargo flights transporting the motorcade. The methodology divides trip estimates by an assumed average trip length of 2.5 days to calculate daily costs, indicating total expenses could be 20 to 40 percent higher when including arrival, departure, and advance-team days.
HuffPost previously assessed Trump’s golf-related costs at $101.2 million by late March, during which he played golf on 110 days over 14 months. Projected on that trend, expenses might reach $300 million by the end of his second term. The frequency of his visits to personal properties is also recorded by watchdog groups. Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) reported Trump had made 259 visits to his properties by mid-June, including 148 to golf courses, spending time at his properties on 37 percent of his first 512 days in office. Mar-a-Lago, with 102 trips, was his most visited site.
Comparison to Obama’s Golfing
Trump’s golf habits contrast with former President Barack Obama, whom he criticized for playing golf during his presidency. According to ‘Is Trump Golfing Today?’, Obama played 333 rounds over his two terms, equivalent to 11.4 percent of his time as president. Conversely, Trump’s visits occurred on 20.05 percent of his first-term days and 26.4 percent of his second-term days.
The cost disparity arises from the locations where each president played. Most of Obama’s rounds occurred at Joint Base Andrews near Washington, D.C., enabling travel by motorcade. Trump’s outings frequently involve his Florida and New Jersey clubs, necessitating extensive travel and additional security. Estimates of Obama’s expenses, while informative, do not directly correlate to Trump’s. ‘Is Trump Golfing Today?’ suggests Obama’s presidential travel expenses were around $105 million over eight years, including international trips. Judicial Watch calculated the Obama family’s personal travel at $105.7 million, while McClatchy cited a $85 million estimate based on earlier data.
Trump on Obama’s Golfing
Between 2011 and 2016, Trump tweeted about Obama’s golfing 27 times according to SB Nation. During a campaign rally in 2015, Trump stated, “Obama, it was reported today, played 250 rounds of golf.” He vowed to change this if elected, claiming, “I’m going to be working for you. I’m not going to have time to play golf.” However, once in office, Trump did golf frequently. By 2020, Trump reversed his stance, asserting, “Obama played more and much longer,” despite evidence to the contrary. Trump’s criticisms often focused on the timing of Obama’s rounds rather than their number, as seen when Obama golfed at Martha’s Vineyard shortly after addressing the Islamic State’s beheading of journalist James Foley. On Fox News’ ‘The Five,’ commentators advised against Obama’s decision to play.
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