How do taxpayer costs for presidential golf during Trump’s terms compare to past presidents?
Executive summary
Multiple outlets cite a HuffPost analysis putting Trump’s golf-related taxpayer bill in 2025 at roughly $70–71 million so far and projecting as high as $300+ million over a four‑year term if the pace continues; those estimates rely on GAO figures that earlier calculated about $3.38M per Mar‑a‑Lago trip [1] [2] [3]. Past comparisons are inconsistent in the record: some analyses and watchdog tallies put Trump’s first‑term golf travel at roughly $102M or $141M (or $130–150M total by some trackers), while other reporting emphasizes that Obama’s or Biden’s travel patterns and costs were different and sometimes higher in aggregate depending on methodology [4] [5] [2].
1. The headline numbers and where they come from
Reporting that Trump’s 2025 golf trips have cost taxpayers about $70–71 million cites a HuffPost calculation that applies cost estimates from a 2019 Government Accountability Office (GAO) review of four 2017 Mar‑a‑Lago trips — roughly $3.38M per trip — to his 2025 travel pattern, producing the current $70.8–71M figure and the projection to exceed $300M over a term if the rate holds [1] [2] [3].
2. Why estimates vary so widely: methodology matters
Analysts differ on what to count. Some trackers include full Air Force One operating costs, Secret Service overtime, local law‑enforcement and Coast Guard patrols, and ancillary logistical costs; others use narrower GAO‑derived per‑trip estimates or local county security invoices. That produces divergent totals: a tracker cited in 2019 estimated $102M by mid‑term; other watchdogs and commentators have offered ranges of $130–150M for a four‑year span or $141M for a first term, depending on assumptions [4] [5] [6].
3. Comparisons to past presidents are contested and hinge on choices
News analyses note Trump’s golf expenditures can look larger or smaller relative to predecessors depending on what’s included. One 2019 comparison said Trump’s documented golf travel spending was about $12.7M less than Obama’s eight‑year travel total — illustrating how aggregate presidential travel costs can exceed single‑term leisure estimates if methodology changes [4]. Available sources do not present a single, authoritative cross‑administration accounting that isolates “golf only” costs consistently across presidencies; multiple outlets warn there is no single correct number [7].
4. Concrete examples that shape public outrage
High‑visibility episodes — like the reported Secret Service cost topping $950,000 for a 2018 Turnberry weekend — feed media narratives and congressional criticism; House Democrats and oversight offices have used such case studies to argue taxpayers have been billed for private‑property weekend trips [8]. Local and federal security costs (road closures, marine patrols) and expensive presidential flight hours amplify each trip’s price tag in ways that vary by site [2] [9] [10].
5. Political and rhetorical context matters
Several sources point out political friction: Trump campaigned criticizing Obama’s golf, then golfed frequently in office; critics frame expenditure as self‑dealing when trips benefit Trump‑owned properties, while defenders emphasize presidential prerogative to travel. Analysts and nonprofits track and publicize these costs partly to press for oversight or policy changes, a motive that colors coverage and selection of figures [11] [12].
6. What reporting says — and what it doesn’t
Available sources consistently report the roughly $70–71M 2025 figure and the use of GAO per‑trip inputs; they disagree on cumulative first‑term totals and on apples‑to‑apples comparisons with prior presidents because of differing inclusion rules and timeframes [3] [4] [5]. Not found in current reporting: a single, government‑issued definitive ledger that isolates and standardizes “golf only” taxpayer costs across multiple administrations for a like‑for‑like comparison.
7. Bottom line for readers
You can say that independent media analyses using GAO‑based per‑trip estimates have produced the headline $70–71M 2025 tally and a projection that Trump could hit ~$300M if his travel pace remains unchanged; but reconciling that with past presidents requires caution because methodology drives most of the difference, and available reporting shows competing totals rather than a settled cross‑administration ranking [1] [2] [3] [4].