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Fact check: What are the security costs associated with Trump's golf outings?
Executive Summary
Public reporting attributes tens to hundreds of millions in federal and local security and travel costs to Donald Trump’s golf outings and related stays since 2017, with estimates varying by scope and time frame; recent 2025 studies and advocacy reports put aggregate figures from the low tens of millions for his second term to more than $140–$151 million over his presidency. Differences stem from whether analysts count only Secret Service and police overtime, include Air Force One and support flights, factor hotel markups at Trump properties, or aggregate across both terms; federal legislation and reimbursements aim to shift some local burdens [1] [2].
1. What supporters and critics both cite as the headline numbers and why they diverge
Reporting presents headline totals in multiple ranges: roughly $23–26 million cited for costs since his 2025 return to office, $100,000+ for early Secret Service spending at Trump properties in one recent period, and $140–151.5 million for cumulative presidential-era golf costs through 2020 or across presidency depending on the analysis. The variation follows methodological choices: some calculations isolate local police overtime and county reimbursements tied to specific visits and estimate daily costs in the hundreds of thousands, while others add Air Force One, advance teams, motorcade logistics, and Secret Service lodging to reach daily figures reported as over $1.4 million. Analysts who include longer time spans and federal travel costs produce the larger totals [3] [4] [1].
2. The most-cited contemporary estimates and their published dates
Major figures arise from distinct reports published in 2025: a January piece estimating average per-round costs near $600,000 and totals over $140 million through October 2020 is dated January 28, 2025; an April 9, 2025 study puts the presidency-total at $151.5 million for 293 days; and a March 17, 2025 update attributes $23 million in costs since the 2025 inauguration with daily police fees around $240,000. A CREW analysis published October 14, 2025, documents nearly $100,000 in Secret Service spending at Trump properties early in the second term. These contemporaneous dates explain why more recent tallies capture additional outings and different accounting choices [5] [1] [3] [4].
3. How local and federal bills seek to shift or reimburse costs
Congressional and federal actions address the fiscal burden on localities: Representative Steve Cohen introduced the MARALAGO Act to bar Secret Service spending at president-owned facilities, framing a conflict-of-interest response to security spending at Trump properties, while a separate federal measure appropriated $300 million over five years to reimburse counties that bear police and sheriff costs. Palm Beach County officials estimate security demands could exceed $45 million annually and the federal appropriation targets those municipal expenditures, though the legislation faced fiscal scrutiny and debate over adequacy and timing [6] [7] [2].
4. Disputed elements: hotel markups and Secret Service accounting practices
Analysts point to up to 300% higher charges for Secret Service lodging at Trump-owned hotels compared with government rates as a notable driver of higher totals in some studies, and CREW’s October 2025 report flagged nearly $100,000 in such spending early in the second term. Federal agencies maintain procurement rules yet allowable rates and emergency bookings can produce premium payments; critics assert this creates both elevated costs and perceived conflicts when lodging benefits properties owned by the president, while defenders say operational security sometimes necessitates immediate local lodging choices. The precise contribution of hotel markups to aggregate totals depends on whether studies adjust for market comparators [8] [4].
5. Reconciling per-trip, per-day, and cumulative accounting to understand fiscal impact
Daily estimates range from hundreds of thousands for local police support to over $1.4 million when including aircraft, advance teams and full federal support; trip averages reported in 2025 include figures like $3.4 million per trip in some accounts and $600,000 per golf round in others. Reconciling these requires clarity on units: whether a “trip” equals a single 24-hour period, a full multi-day stay, or a single golf round; whether the analysis counts only public-safety overtime or all federal logistics; and whether costs are gross expenditures versus transfers to private properties. Analysts and officials publishing these different metrics provide transparent but non-uniform scopes, explaining why multiple valid totals coexist [8] [5] [1].
6. What remains uncertain and what to watch next
Remaining uncertainties include precise auditing of Secret Service and Defense Department flight logs, uniform accounting for local police overtime across counties, and the final impact of the $300 million reimbursement program on municipal budgets. Ongoing investigations and periodic CREW and media audits will add data points; legislative outcomes on the MARALAGO Act or similar restrictions would alter future spending flows by prohibiting federal payments to facilities owned by the president. Observers should track updated audits and Treasury or DHS disclosures for definitive reconciliations of administrative versus local costs [4] [6] [2].