How much have Trumps golf trips cost the taxpayers in 2025
Executive summary
HuffPost-based analyses and multiple news outlets report that Trump’s golf-related travel and security costs in 2025 are in the tens of millions of dollars — commonly reported around $70–71 million year-to-date — and at the current pace some outlets say the four‑year total could top roughly $300 million (HuffPost analysis cited by The Independent and others) [1] [2]. These estimates largely apply a $3.4 million per‑trip figure derived from a 2019 Government Accountability Office (GAO) audit of four Mar‑a‑Lago trips and do not adjust for inflation or unreported expenses, which reporters warn likely undercounts the true cost [3] [4].
1. The headline number: roughly $70–71 million in 2025 so far
Multiple outlets cite a HuffPost tally that Trump’s golf travel and security costs in 2025 have reached about $70.8–$71 million so far; The Independent, Mirror U.S. and other outlets repeat that figure and say 16 Mar‑a‑Lago trips were tallied in one iteration of the analysis [1] [2] [5]. Some local and national outlets use the same HuffPost sourcing to write that, if the pace continues, the second‑term four‑year total could approach $300 million [1] [2].
2. Where the per‑trip estimate comes from — GAO’s 2019 audit
Reporters base the $3.4 million per‑trip figure on a 2019 Government Accountability Office audit that examined four of the president’s Mar‑a‑Lago trips in his first term and calculated an average cost of $13.6 million across those four trips — about $3.383 million per trip (reported as ~$3.4m) [3] [4]. News outlets explicitly say HuffPost used that GAO estimate as the foundation for its 2025 cost totals [4] [1].
3. What’s included — and what may be missing — from these calculations
The cited reporting notes the largest line items are aircraft operation (Air Force One), presidential motorcade and expanded security detail; the GAO figures include flying Air Force One and auxiliary cargo and security deployments [3] [6]. Journalists and the GAO‑based analyses also warn that the 2019 numbers were not inflation‑adjusted and that many costs — local law enforcement overtime, Coast Guard and maritime security, or classified operational support — may not be fully captured in public estimates, meaning reported totals are likely conservative [1] [4].
4. Disagreement in scale: alternative trackers and lower tallies
Independent trackers and some outlets produce different totals. For example, the site DidTrumpGolfToday compiles outings and applies the GAO per‑trip method and other outlets cite substantially higher cumulative totals (one tracker cited an $107.8 million figure in November 2025 reporting), while other outlets stick to HuffPost’s $70–71 million estimate for 2025 [7] [4]. These divergences arise from differences in which trips are counted, whether non‑Mar‑a‑Lago golf trips (Bedminster, Scotland, Doral, etc.) are included, and how extended or complex trips are costed [8] [4].
5. Example outliers: international and special‑event trips
Reporters singled out a Scotland trip and a Ryder Cup/major‑event attendance as notably costly examples. HuffPost estimated the Scotland/Aberdeen trip would cost taxpayers “at least $10 million,” and outlets cited similar high single‑trip estimates for other overseas or long multi‑day visits [8] [9]. These event or international trips can inflate totals beyond the routine Mar‑a‑Lago weekend calculation [8].
6. Political and reporting context: why this story matters
Commentators and some members of Congress tie the headline numbers to questions about conflicts of interest (Trump visiting his own properties), fiscal priorities (criticisms of “waste”), and consistency with rhetoric about government efficiency; Representative Jasmine Crockett highlighted a $26 million figure as of late March during a hearing, reflecting earlier, lower tallies based on the same underlying methodology [10] [11]. Opinion pieces and columnists use the numbers to advance normative arguments about presidential travel and private benefit [12].
7. Limits of public reporting and how to interpret the estimates
Available reporting relies heavily on a 2019 GAO audit and on media tallies that apply that per‑trip figure to 2025 outings; outlets acknowledge the methodology’s limits — no widely published, contemporaneous GAO accounting for every 2025 trip exists in the cited sources — and say true costs could be higher [3] [1]. If you seek a definitive government accounting for 2025, available sources do not mention a comprehensive official GAO or Treasury breakdown for every trip in that year.
Sources cited above: The Independent (HuffPost analysis reported) and related coverage [1] [2]; Guardian reporting on GAO baseline and local impacts [3] [12]; HuffPost‑derived item examples in PennLive, Mirror, San.com and others summarizing the same methodology and estimates [4] [5] [6] [8]; DidTrumpGolfToday tracker [7]; Rep. Jasmine Crockett remarks as reported [10].