How much did presidential golf cost taxpayers during Trump's presidency compared to Obama and Biden?
Executive summary
Available reporting shows widely divergent estimates but a consistent theme: Trump’s presidential golf-related costs to taxpayers are reported as far higher than those for Barack Obama or Joe Biden. Multiple outlets cite figures putting Trump’s golf-related tab at tens of millions in short periods and projecting up to roughly $300 million over a four‑year term (e.g., $71m so far in 2025 and projections above $300m) while Obama’s eight‑year golf-and-vacation total is reported around $90m and Biden’s year-by-year costs are described as lower because of more local travel and smaller aircraft [1] [2] [3] [4].
1. Headlines and the raw comparisons — Why numbers vary so much
Media outlets and trackers give sharply different totals because they use different scopes (just “golf” vs. golf plus family vacations), time periods (single year, single term, cumulative), and accounting choices (Secret Service overtime, Air Force One and support flights, local law enforcement and notices to airmen). For example, one Democratic House committee figure cited by The Daily Beast frames Obama’s eight‑year total (golf trips and family vacations combined) at about $90m while contemporary reporting places Trump’s 2025 golf‑related costs at $71m and growing — with some outlets projecting a path to roughly $300m for a four‑year term if current patterns continued [2] [1] [3]. Those differing inclusions explain much of the spread in headlines [2] [3].
2. The Trump numbers being reported — scales and projections
Several outlets report that Trump’s golf trips in 2025 had already cost taxpayers roughly $52m by mid‑year or $71m by November, and that continuation at that pace could push totals toward $300m over four years [5] [1] [3]. Independent trackers and local reporting have highlighted recurring security deployments (flight restrictions and Secret Service lodging) tied to Mar‑a‑Lago and other club visits as large cost drivers, and some projects extrapolate short‑term totals into multi‑year projections that produce the headline “$300m” figure [4] [6] [3].
3. Obama and Biden: lower costs, different travel patterns
Reporting stresses that Obama typically golfed closer to Washington and used smaller aircraft or courses accessible without heavy support flights, which made his golf weekends less expensive in federal spending comparisons. One outlet cites Obama’s total for golf and family vacations across two terms at about $90m, notably lower than many of the projections for Trump’s multi‑year totals [2] [4]. Biden’s travel pattern is described as involving smaller aircraft or local trips (Wilmington, Rehoboth Beach), and some sources say Biden’s individual years have lower single‑activity tallies than those reported for Trump in 2025 [1] [5].
4. Methodology matters — what’s often included and what’s left out
Coverage repeatedly notes that “cost to taxpayers” can include Secret Service overtime and accommodations, Air Force One and support aircraft flights, local law enforcement, and broader staff and logistics support. Some reports and independent trackers include only direct protection and flight costs; others fold in ancillary local costs and long‑term overtime calculations, which inflates totals. Sources do not present a single, audited uniform ledger comparing all presidents on identical categories, so cross‑presidential comparisons depend on which costs a given reporter or analyst counts [2] [7] [8].
5. Political framing and competing narratives
Multiple pieces explicitly flag the political valence: critics emphasize the contrast between campaign promises and current behavior and highlight dollar figures to argue waste, while defenders or contextualists point to historical norms of presidential travel and security needs. The Daily Beast highlights a Democratic House Oversight Committee framing; other outlets emphasize Trump’s past criticisms of Obama’s golf to underline political hypocrisy [2] [4]. Readers should note outlets’ sourcing (committee reports, trackers, local reports) when weighing claims [2] [1].
6. What sources don’t settle or don’t say
Available sources do not present a single Government Accountability Office (GAO) or similar consolidated audit that apples‑to‑apples compares full presidency‑wide golf costs for Trump, Obama and Biden using identical line‑item definitions; they also do not supply a definitive official ledger reconciling short‑term projections with final audited totals [2] [5]. Specifics such as precise per‑trip Secret Service overtime totals across presidencies are inconsistently reported in the sampled coverage [2] [4].
7. How to read future claims — key verification steps
When you see a new headline about “$X million” for presidential golf, check (a) the time period covered, (b) whether the figure includes only flights, only Secret Service, or wider local costs, (c) the primary source (committee report, tracker, local government invoices), and (d) whether the number is an actual paid cost or a projection extrapolated from a short period [3] [8] [7]. Those distinctions explain why Trump’s reported 2025 pace draws projections toward $300m while Obama and Biden totals cited in the same reporting remain substantially lower [1] [2] [4].