Staggering spending stats have been revealed in a new bombshell reports that indicates record-breaking spending by US President Donald Trump on gold trips during his second term in the White House.
It's not uncommon for the head of state to relax on the green from time to time, as golf is not only a sport favored by the wealthy but also one that isn't particularly physically demanding so can be played into your later years.
Donald Trump has made a name for himself on the golf course in particular compared to his fellow former presidents, yet that does come at quite a significant cost to the US taxpayer despite a key part of his second term being spending cuts led by Elon Musk's DOGE team.
As shared by the Independent, analysis from the Huffington Post has revealed that the total amount of money spent on golf trips during Trump's second term so far is around $71 million, and it could reach a record-breaking figure by the time the next election rolls around.
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During his first term he spent $151.5 million of the taxpayer's money on golf trips, which was already seen as an excessive amount, yet if he continues on the current trajectory the second term could rack up over $300 million in costs by 2028.
Part of the issue is that the vast majority of his trips have been to Trump's own golf course at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, which incurs a $3.4 million cost every single time due to travel and security.
He's visited the luxury resort for a 18 holes on 16 different occasions since he was sworn in as president in January of this year, and many might also wonder whether there's a conflict of interest as the Trump-owned resort is profiting financially from this preference.
Additionally, the president has also visited fellow Trump-owned resorts in Bedminster, New Jersey on nine occasions – costing around $1.1 each – alongside an expensive excursion to his course in Aberdeen, Scotland, which racked up a bill of $10 million to the taxpayer.
What's more, the analysis made by HuffPost relies on 2019 data from the Government Accountability Office, which takes into account the salaries of military and law enforcement officials from six years ago, so it's almost definitely higher than the actual figures that have been estimated so far.
Of course, there is a benefit to some of these golf trips, as they not only help him maintain his physical condition – something that has been questioned in recent weeks – but they also serve as a tool for political negotiations and relationships, although the balance of business to leisure might not be what the taxpayer is entirely happy with at the moment.