Taxpayers Spend Hundreds Of Thousands On Trump Family Trips
November 19, 2018
Throughout his presidency, Trump and his family have repeatedly wasted taxpayer dollars on trips and vacations — frequently to Trump’s own properties where he continues to profit. Here are reports from the past week alone:
Taxpayers paid nearly $100,000 for Donald Trump Jr.’s business trip to India to sell his family’s luxury condominiums.
Washington Post: “Donald Trump Jr.’s trip to India to sell his family’s luxury condominium projects cost U.S. taxpayers nearly $100,000, documents obtained by The Washington Post show.”
Taxpayers paid roughly $174,000 for Melania Trump to take a day trip to Toronto — she didn’t even spend the night.
Quartz: “US first lady Melania Trump ran up a six-figure hotel bill for a one-day trip to Toronto last year, according to federal spending records. Government spending data show at least six separate Toronto hotel charges ranging from just under $12,000 to nearly $49,000 for a total of roughly $174,000. She did not spend the night.”
Taxpayers paid nearly $14,000 — almost double the GSA lodging rate for the area — for Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner’s two-day Vermont vacation.
New York Daily News: “Taxpayers dished out nearly $14,000 on Secret Service protection for Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner during their extravagant trip to Vermont in the wake of a deadly far-right rally in Charlottesville, Va., last year, internal records reveal. … The lodging expenses were also nearly double what the U.S. General Services Administration rates are listed as for the area.”
Trump is expected to go back to Mar-a-Lago this week. Trump’s trips to Mar-a-Lago last winter cost Palm Beach County taxpayers more than $5 million.
Palm Beach Daily News: “Trump is expected to return to Mar-a-Lago this week for Thanksgiving. And if the past two winter seasons are any guide, the president will be a frequent weekend visitor in the months ahead for activities ranging from golf to international diplomacy.”
Palm Beach Post: “Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw has asked the federal government to refund his agency more than $5.6 million for the 65,063 hours his staff and deputies worked to ensure the safety of President Donald Trump, his wife and young son during their visits to the county from October 2017 through the end of April of this year.”