How much has Joe Biden spent on golf and presidential travel costs through 2021-2024?
Executive summary
Available reporting in the provided set does not offer a single, authoritative total for what President Joe Biden spent on golf and presidential travel for 2021–2024; sources give outing counts, per‑outing cost ranges, and comparisons but no consolidated, audited sum (not found in current reporting). One independent estimate cited here places Biden’s cost per golf outing at about $1.1–$1.5 million and counts roughly 27 outings through 2024 [1]. Broader reporting and compilations offer comparisons to other presidents but do not provide a fully sourced line‑item total for 2021–2024 [2] [3].
1. What the sources actually say about Biden’s golf costs
A recent independent compilation asserts Biden had about 27 golf outings through 2021–2024 and estimates the taxpayer cost per outing—including Secret Service, Air Force One and staff travel—at roughly $1.1 million to $1.5 million [1]. That calculation implies aggregate costs in the low tens of millions if multiplied by the per‑outing range, but the compilation does not present a full audited accounting or break down each element of the estimate in the material provided here [1].
2. No definitive total found in current reporting
The documents supplied do not include an official, comprehensive tally of Biden’s total golf‑related or presidential travel expenditures for 2021–2024. Major aggregations in these results focus on counts, comparisons or selective examples rather than an itemized, validated total for the years you asked about; therefore a definitive dollar figure for 2021–2024 is not present in the available sources (not found in current reporting; [1]; p1_s3).
3. How the available per‑outing figures were framed
The $1.1–$1.5 million per‑outing figure cited in the independent piece bundles Secret Service protection, Air Force One and staff travel as cost drivers [1]. That approach mirrors how many media analyses estimate presidential trip costs—by combining transportation, security and supporting staff—but those estimates can vary based on destination, duration and method of travel. The source here does not publish the underlying invoices or agency detail to validate every component of the range [1].
4. Context: comparisons with other presidents
The supplied material repeatedly frames Biden’s travel and golf costs in comparative context. Compilations and news items cite much larger headline totals for Donald Trump’s golf and travel expenses—e.g., reporting that Trump’s golf travel and security costs during his first term reached roughly $151.5 million—suggesting that headline comparisons often emphasize relative scale rather than methodological consistency [3] [2]. That means cross‑president comparisons in the record may rely on different counting rules and should be viewed cautiously [3] [2].
5. Limits of the available evidence and why totals diverge
Sources here mix independent aggregations, media summaries and crowd‑sourced tallies; none supply government‑audited ledgers for the full period 2021–2024. Differences in how analysts count “golf spending” (e.g., only direct travel, or also secondary staff/support costs) produce divergent totals. The materials provided emphasize counts of outings, anecdotal item costs and political comparisons rather than a single, reconciled expenditure figure [1] [2] [3].
6. Alternate viewpoints and possible agendas
The independent compilation that sets a $1.1–$1.5 million per‑outing cost is presented without a government invoice and appears intended to highlight perceived waste; that framing can serve political critiques of presidential leisure travel [1]. Other outlets presented in the pool focus on broader narratives—either criticizing or contextualizing travel spending—so readers should treat single estimates as part of a contested debate rather than definitive accounting [3] [2].
7. What would be needed for a precise answer
A reliable total for Biden’s golf and presidential travel costs 2021–2024 would require access to itemized federal agency records—travel and security invoices from the Secret Service, Air Mobility Command (Air Force One), and agency travel and overtime bills for supporting staff—compiled and reconciled on a trip‑by‑trip basis. Those documents are not included in the sources you provided (not found in current reporting).
Bottom line: the sources here identify outing counts and supply an independent per‑outing estimate (about $1.1M–$1.5M) for Biden’s golf trips [1] but do not contain an audited, consolidated dollar total for 2021–2024; authoritative accounting would require agency records not present in this set [1] [2] [3].