Keep Factually independent
Whether you agree or disagree with our analysis, these conversations matter for democracy. We don't take money from political groups - even a $5 donation helps us keep it that way.
Fact check: What was the average cost of a golf trip for Donald Trump during his presidency?
Executive Summary
Donald Trump’s golf trips during his presidency are reported with widely varying totals and per-trip averages across investigative pieces and media reports, with estimates ranging from roughly $140 million to $151.5 million for his first term and additional millions during his return to office in 2025; per-trip and per-day averages in these accounts vary from about $600,000 per round to over $1.4 million per day depending on which costs are included (Air Force One, Secret Service, local police, support staff) and which date ranges are measured (through October 2020 versus through 2025) [1] [2] [3]. The available reporting does not produce a single, universally accepted “average cost per golf trip” because methodologies differ sharply between sources and timeframes [2] [1] [4].
1. How different reporters counted the bills — methodology drives the headline totals
Different investigations use distinct inclusions and time windows, producing divergent headline numbers. One set of articles aggregates costs through October 2020 and estimates about $140 million total, deriving an average cost per round near $600,000 by dividing cumulative security and travel expenses by documented golf outings [1]. Another analysis extends or recalculates similar categories and reports $151.5 million for a defined set of golf-related days, which the authors convert into a daily figure “over $1.4 million per day on the golf course” by dividing total costs by 293 reported days [2]. The discrepancy reflects which expenditures are tallied — for example, whether local police overtime, Secret Service lodging charges, Air Force One operation, and incidental rental costs like golf carts are included [4] [5]. Those methodological choices change both total and average-per-trip numbers substantially and explain conflicting media headlines.
2. Recent reporting on post-2024 costs complicates averages and comparisons
Reporting from early 2025 focuses on additional expenditures after Trump’s return to office and shows tens of millions more in short order, which, when appended to earlier totals, shift the average per trip upward. One March 2025 piece estimates $10.7 million for his early 2025 golf travel with an average around $3.38 million per trip, attributing roughly a third of that figure to Air Force One and security [6]. Another March article places post-return costs above $18 million and predicts they will exceed $23 million, citing substantial local police fees that can reach $240,000 per day in some jurisdictions [3]. Combining pre-2021 totals with incremental 2025 spending without harmonized methodology yields divergent per-trip averages and undermines a single “average cost” figure unless the analyst specifies date range and cost categories precisely [2].
3. What specific expense categories drive the biggest variances in estimates
Analysts consistently point to a handful of large, often variable categories that dominate the totals: Air Force One and presidential flight-related costs, Secret Service lodging and logistics, local law enforcement overtime and perimeter security contracts, and other operational support such as transportation and equipment rentals. Reports cite Air Force One operations and security as major line items in the multi-million-dollar-per-trip calculations [6] [2]. Separate reporting documents Secret Service payments for lodging and perimeter security — for instance, Secret Service contracts over $1.4 million for Mar-a-Lago perimeter work and rental fees for golf carts and rooms charged to the government — which are not always distributed evenly across golf days versus other presidential activities [4] [7] [5]. How a reporter assigns these shared or overlapping costs to “golf trips” versus other travel or official duties substantially alters per-trip averages.
4. How short windows and rounding produce sensational per-day numbers
Some outlets highlight per-day or per-round figures to make the totals more striking: dividing cumulative costs by the number of golf-course days or by rounds played produces figures like $600,000 per round or over $1.4 million per day depending on the denominator [1] [2]. These per-day numbers often rely on narrow definitions of “golf day” (days spent at golf clubs, rounds logged) and assume full attribution of shared support expenses to those days. Conversely, broader definitions that apportion travel and security across all presidential duties produce smaller per-golf-day averages. The choice of numerator and denominator, and whether analysts include follow-on costs such as extended police detail or incremental Air Force One sorties, explains much of the apparent sensationalism in headlines [2].
5. Bottom line: no single authoritative per-trip average without standardized accounting
The reporting provided establishes that substantial taxpayer costs are associated with Trump’s golf travel, but it also shows no single, universally accepted average cost per golf trip emerges from the available analyses because of varying timeframes, cost categories, and allocation methods. Estimates fall into broad bands: roughly $140 million–$151.5 million for pre-2021 golf-related costs in different reconstructions [1] [2], and tens of millions more in early 2025 that push cumulative totals higher and produce higher per-trip averages when combined [6] [3]. Any precise “average cost” claim must state which reports, date ranges, and specific expense categories are being used; without that transparency, comparisons across outlets will continue to produce conflicting figures [2] [4].