Golf is basically the official pastime of the American presidency. From Eisenhower's putting green on the White House lawn to Obama's weekend rounds at Andrews Air Force Base, the game and the office are tangled up together. But the cost of trump golfing is a different beast entirely. It’s not just about the greens fees. Honestly, when you look at the ledger, the greens fees are the only thing that's technically "free" because he owns the courses.
The real numbers are staggering.
By early 2026, estimates for the total taxpayer bill since Donald Trump first took office in 2017 have climbed past the $260 million mark. That is a lot of zeros. To put that in perspective, that’s roughly 650 times the annual presidential salary he famously declined to take. Most of that cash doesn't go to Titleist or TaylorMade. It goes to fuel, hotel rooms for agents, and the sheer logistical nightmare of moving a "floating White House" every time the President wants to hit a wedge on a Saturday morning.
Breaking Down the $3.4 Million Weekend
You’ve probably heard the $3 million figure thrown around for a single trip to Mar-a-Lago. It’s not a myth. According to a 2019 report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO), a series of four trips to Mar-a-Lago in early 2017 cost federal agencies about **$13.6 million**. That averages out to $3.4 million per visit.
Why so much? Logistics.
When the President moves, the world moves with him. You aren't just paying for one plane. You’re paying for the "big" Air Force One—the modified Boeing 747—which costs roughly $200,000 per hour to operate. Then there are the C-17 Globemasters. These massive cargo planes have to haul the armored limousines (The Beast), the secondary SUVs, and the communications gear.
The Coast Guard has to patrol the waters around Mar-a-Lago or Doral. The Secret Service needs to rent golf carts—yes, they actually have to pay the Trump Organization to rent carts to follow the owner of the club around. One 2020 report from the DHS Office of Inspector General showed the Secret Service spent tens of thousands just on cart rentals and lodging at Trump Turnberry in Scotland.
The Second Term Surge
Since returning to the White House in 2025, the pace hasn't slowed down. In fact, it's picked up.
- 88 visits to golf clubs in the first year of the second term alone.
- $110.6 million estimated cost for 2025 travel and security related to golf.
- August 2025 was particularly busy, with 10 days spent on the links.
Critics like to point out the hypocrisy of complaining about federal waste while spending millions on weekend jaunts. Supporters argue he’s "working 24/7" and that these clubs are just his version of the "Winter White House." Regardless of which side you land on, the math doesn't lie. Moving the presidency is an expensive hobby.
Where the Money Actually Goes
It’s easy to think this money just vanishes into the air with jet fuel. It doesn't. A significant chunk of the cost of trump golfing flows directly back into Trump-owned properties.
Groups like Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) have spent years tracking these payments. They found that during his first term, the Secret Service alone paid nearly $2 million to Trump properties. When agents stay at Bedminster or Mar-a-Lago to protect the President, the government pays the resort for those rooms.
The GAO found that in 2017, the Department of Defense and Department of Homeland Security were the primary spenders, shelling out $8.5 million and $5.1 million respectively for just a handful of trips. This includes:
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- Per diems: Meals and incidental expenses for hundreds of support staff.
- Overtime: Local law enforcement in Palm Beach County often racks up millions in unpaid overtime that they then have to petition Congress to reimburse.
- Infrastructure: Temporary secure communications lines and holding rooms that have to be set up and torn down.
The Bedminster Difference
Not every trip costs $3 million. Trips to Trump National Golf Club Bedminster in New Jersey are "cheaper" because they often use the smaller C-32 (a modified Boeing 757) instead of the massive 747. A 17-day stay at Bedminster in 2017 was estimated by the Center for American Progress to cost about $3.1 million—roughly the same as one weekend in Florida.
But "cheaper" is relative. The total tab for Bedminster visits across both terms is estimated to exceed $30 million.
International "Work" Trips
The highest per-trip costs occur when the President goes abroad. In 2025, a trip to his Aberdeen course in Scotland was tagged with a $10 million taxpayer price tag.
Overseas travel involves even more layers. You have to coordinate with foreign governments, secure entire hotel wings, and often fly in even more equipment. When you're playing at your own course in a different country, the optics get even murkier. Is it a state visit or a marketing opportunity? The line is thin.
In Scotland, the Pentagon reportedly spent $184,000 at the Turnberry resort over two years. This wasn't for the President, but for flight crews and support staff staying there during layovers. It all adds up to a complex web of spending where the government is essentially a regular, high-paying customer of the President’s private business.
Is This Normal for Presidents?
This is where the nuance comes in. Every president spends money on vacations.
Barack Obama was frequently criticized for his trips to Hawaii and Martha’s Vineyard. By the end of his eight years, Judicial Watch estimated his total travel costs at around $96 million.
Trump surpassed that number in his first term alone.
The difference isn't just frequency; it's the destination. When Obama went to Hawaii, he stayed in a private rental home. When Trump goes to Mar-a-Lago, he stays at a club he owns, which then charges the government for the privilege of protecting him there. This "self-enrichment" aspect is what makes the cost of trump golfing a unique point of contention in American politics.
The Local Impact
We can't forget the towns. Palm Beach and Bedminster aren't just scenic backdrops; they are functional municipalities with budgets.
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Sheriff Ric Bradshaw of Palm Beach County has frequently requested millions in federal reimbursements. When the President is in town, local roads are closed, bridges are locked down, and deputies are pulled from their regular beats to stand on street corners for 12 hours a day. If Congress doesn't pass a reimbursement bill, the local taxpayers in those counties end up footing a portion of the bill that has nothing to do with their local services.
Actionable Insights: Tracking the Data
If you want to stay on top of how your tax dollars are being spent on the links, you don't have to wait for the White House to release a report (they usually don't). Here is how you can track the impact yourself:
- Check the GAO Archives: The Government Accountability Office is the "gold standard" for non-partisan spending reports. Search for "Presidential Travel" on their site to find the most recent audits.
- Follow the Trackers: Sites like "Did Trump Golf Today" or "Trump Golf Tracker" aggregate public flight data and pool reports to give real-time estimates.
- Local News is Key: To see the real-world cost to communities, read the Palm Beach Post or the Star-Ledger in New Jersey. They report on the specific police overtime and traffic impacts that national outlets miss.
- FOIA Requests: If you're really dedicated, you can follow organizations like CREW or Judicial Watch, which use the Freedom of Information Act to pry receipts out of the Secret Service.
The financial footprint of a president's leisure time is more than just a political talking point. It's a massive, ongoing expenditure of public funds that involves thousands of people and millions of dollars in hardware. Understanding these costs requires looking past the headlines and into the actual logistics of how a modern presidency moves.