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.
What is the total cost of Trump's Mar-a-Lago visits since 2017?
Executive summary
President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago trips since 2017 have generated multiple and divergent cost estimates because reporters and watchdogs use different scopes and methods; the published figures run from the tens of millions to well over $150 million depending on whether analysts count only travel, only local policing, only his first term, or include security upgrades and Secret Service overtime. No single, government-published, comprehensive tally covering 2017 through 2025 exists in the public record, so credible estimates present a range rather than a precise total [1] [2] [3]. Readers should treat headline totals as partial snapshots that reflect different choices about what to include and who pays.
1. Dramatic claims and competing headline numbers that grabbed attention
Reporting and watchdog claims present several prominent figures: about $144 million cited for golf and leisure travel in Trump’s first term, an assertion of $155 million for another term-related estimate, and local Palm Beach security approvals and estimates in the tens of millions; other pieces cite roughly $6 million in direct travel costs plus $45 million in county-approved security for specific visits in 2025. These figures come from different analyses and time frames and are repeated across outlets as partial totals rather than a unified accounting [2] [4] [1]. Each headline number is real but incomplete: some add Air Force One operational costs, others emphasize local police overtime or federal contracts for perimeter security, producing overlapping and sometimes noncomparable claims.
2. What reporters and watchdogs actually measure — and what they omit
Analysts calculate costs using discrete line items: Air Force One operating rates (commonly cited near $200,000 per flight hour), support aircraft and motorcade costs, Secret Service lodging and overtime, Coast Guard patrols, and local police overtime and fire-rescue detail. Contract notices and county approvals surface discrete sums — for example, procurement awards of $478,000 or $580,600 for security work at Mar-a-Lago and county estimates of daily protection costing thousands to hundreds of thousands — but comprehensive aggregation is rare [3] [5] [6]. Omissions are systematic: many tallies exclude indirect costs such as opportunity costs of redeploying federal assets, long-term pension or logistics overhead, and reimbursed vs. unreimbursed local expenses, which explains much of the disagreement between estimates.
3. Why methodologies produce wildly different totals
Estimates diverge because sources choose different denominators: some analyses count only Air Force One hours and accompanying aircraft; others include local government overtime, security contracts, Coast Guard patrols, Secret Service lodging and upgrades, and even federal reimbursements. Time window choices also matter: some totals cover only the first term through 2020, others incorporate visits since Biden left office or specific 2024–2025 trips. Legislative or watchdog efforts (for example, the Stop Waste And Misuse by the President Act referenced in reporting) illustrate policy attempts to standardize counting, but no standardized public ledger exists, so totals are inherently sensitive to scope and timeframe [7] [8].
4. Local costs, reimbursement programs, and the legal picture that shapes who pays
Palm Beach County and local agencies have reported tens of millions in security-related spending and have sought federal reimbursement, but rules matter: a longstanding federal program that reimbursed state and local costs for presidential residences historically applied to sitting presidents and not to former presidents, leaving local governments exposed after 2021. Reports note local approvals — tens of millions in county spending and day-rate estimates for police overtime — and federal procurement awards for physical security upgrades that taxpayers finance. The split between local and federal responsibility is a major driver of public debate and litigation risk as municipalities seek reimbursement or legislative relief [4] [6] [5].
5. A defensible range, not a single number: what the evidence supports today
Given the different published snapshots, the defensible public range for Mar-a-Lago–related expenditures since 2017 is at least tens of millions and plausibly in the low-to-mid hundreds of millions depending on inclusions: narrow tallies focusing on specific travel and recent visits produce figures in the tens of millions, while broader aggregations that include first-term leisure travel, repeated Air Force One operations, Secret Service overtime, and local security put cumulative exposure toward or above $100–$150 million [1] [2] [3]. Because no unified audit has been published, the correct interpretation is a range with clear caveats rather than a precise consolidated total.
6. What to watch next to close the accounting gap
Public clarity will hinge on three developments: formal audits or Freedom of Information releases by the Secret Service and Department of Defense, municipal accounting disclosures and reimbursement decisions by the federal government, and any legislative reporting requirements tied to presidential travel costs. Watch for updated county approvals and federal procurement notices, plus watchdog recalculations that transparently list included line items; only a comprehensive, line-item federal audit or reconciled municipal-federal tally will convert the present range into a definitive total [3] [1].