The official White House line is that Trump is trying to save taxpayers money by taking his weekend vacation in New Jersey instead of Florida, but Trump’s golf outing in Jersey still costs taxpayers $684,000.
Here was the line from the White House at the daily press briefing:
“The president is staying at his private residence in New Jersey. He’s trying to save the taxpayers money the best way he can,†per Sanders.
— Christina Wilkie (@christinawilkie) May 5, 2017
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The Center for American Progress did the analysis and found, “Contrary to Trump’s claim that his trip to Bedminster ‘saves country money,’ his trip to Bedminster costs taxpayers $840,000, according to CAP Action’s estimate. That adds up to a total cost of $26M to taxpayers for Trump’s vacations – and we are only a few months in.”
Trump isn’t saving the taxpayers any money because the president is not entitled to taxpayer-funded vacation every weekend. If Trump really wants to save the taxpayers some money, he should stop going on vacation.
The New York Daily News reported that if Trump makes Bedminster his summer weekend spot, he could devastate local businesses and residents $300,000 in police overtime.
Each Trump trip to Florida costs taxpayers over $600,000 in Air Force One expenses alone.
While going to New Jersey costs less, it still means that taxpayers are spending money so that Trump can spend the weekend playing golf.
The best way for Trump to save money is to stay in D.C. or go to Camp David.
If Trump wants to continue his lavish lifestyle, he should resign from the presidency and do it on his own dime.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
