It's costing a fortune to protect the Trump family
Carlos Barria/Reuters
Judicial Watch, a conservative group that tracked the cost of travel expenses for Obama, estimated that $97 million was spent during his eight years in office.
However, based on the first four weeks of Trump's presidency, which included three trips to his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, Trump is well on his way to jump past that figure.
The Post rounded up a handful of estimates of the costs of protecting the Trump family incurred by the US departments of Defense and Homeland Security and local police agencies.
Here are a few:
- 3 trips to Mar-a-Lago since Trump's inauguration may have cost about $10 million, based on a government report from October that analyzed White House travel, The Post said. The expenses include the cost of US Coast Guard patrol boats on the shoreline.
- Palm Beach County officials say they will request reimbursement of tens of thousands of dollars per day from the White House, for their deputies who provided security and logistical support around the city.
- Police officials estimate that it would cost New York $500,000 a day, or $183 million a year, to guard Trump Tower, where First Lady Melania Trump and Barron Trump live.
- Secret Service and embassy employees paid about $100,000 in hotel room bills during Eric Trump's trip to Uruguay, where he promoted a Trump-branded building.
- If the Pentagon successfully secures rental space in Trump Tower - needed for when the president returns to New York City - it could cost $1.5 million per month, according to the building's website.
- Secret Service paid $12,000 for tents, portable toilets, light towers, and golf carts during Trump's Super Bowl weekend trip to Mar-a-Lago.
AP Photo/Susan Walsh
"This is an expensive way to conduct business, and the president should recognize that," said Judicial Watch president Tom Fitton. "The unique thing about President Trump is that he knows what it costs to run a plane," Fitton said about Trump's travel to Mar-a-Lago in Florida. He suggested Camp David may be the better choice, since Trump can easily get there by helicopter.
Funding the Trump family's complex travel and protection needs may not be the only issue, The Post reported.
"There was an anticipation of how stressful it was going to be on the agency," said Jonathan Wackrow, a 14-year Secret Service employee who served during Obama's administration. "But the harsh reality is that the stress is just overwhelming." According to Wackrow, agents are "at severe risk of burnout."
The Secret Service, however, maintains that it is ready, willing, and able to protect Trump. "Every administration presents unique challenges to which the Secret Service has effectively adapted," an agency statement cited by The Post read.
"Regardless of location . . . the Secret Service is confident in our security plan."
- Colon cancer rates are rising in young people. If you have two symptoms you should get a colonoscopy, a GI oncologist says.
- I spent $2,000 for 7 nights in a 179-square-foot room on one of the world's largest cruise ships. Take a look inside my cabin.
- An Ambani disruption in OTT: At just ₹1 per day, you can now enjoy ad-free content on JioCinema
- Reliance gets thumbs-up from S&P, Fitch as strong earnings keep leverage in check
- Realme C65 5G with 5,000mAh battery, 120Hz display launched starting at ₹10,499
- 8 Fun things to do in Kasol
- SC rejects pleas seeking cross-verification of votes cast using EVMs with VVPAT
- Ultraviolette F77 Mach 2 electric sports bike launched in India starting at ₹2.99 lakh
- JNK India IPO allotment date
- JioCinema New Plans
- Realme Narzo 70 Launched
- Apple Let Loose event
- Elon Musk Apology
- RIL cash flows
- Charlie Munger
- Feedbank IPO allotment
- Tata IPO allotment
- Most generous retirement plans
- Broadcom lays off
- Cibil Score vs Cibil Report
- Birla and Bajaj in top Richest
- Nestle Sept 2023 report
- India Equity Market