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CBS News: Trump's Mar-a-Lago Trips Have Cost $10 Million

CBS News: Trump's Mar-a-Lago Trips Have Cost $10 Million

President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Images)

By    |   Tuesday, 21 February 2017 11:46 AM EST

A new report claims President Donald Trump's three trips to Mar-a-Lago have cost taxpayers an estimated $10 million.

CBS News examined Trump's visits to what's being called the "Winter White House" in Palm Beach, Fla., where Trump has spent 11 of his 33 days in office.

Taxpayer money is used for presidential trips, which involves protection by the Secret Service, other federal agencies, both local and state law enforcement, and air travel on Air Force One.

Trump has been critical in the past of former President Barack Obama's frequent trips. Trump's wife and young son are still living at Trump Tower in New York City. Trump has traveled to his Florida resort each of the last three weekends.

CBS News estimates the round-trip flight on Air Force One between Andrews Air Force Base and Palm Beach costs more than $700,000.

"If he's going down there every weekend, the costs are going to add up pretty quickly," Tom Fitton, president of Judicial Watch, told CBS.

Fitton wants to see the Trump administration make his travel costs public.

"He doesn't need to go to Florida every weekend. He can work at the White House or up at Camp David."

CBS estimates that Obama's trips during his eight years in the White House cost roughly $97 million. Trump is on pace to exceed that figure after his first year alone.

Another factor are the businesses at the Palm Beach County Park Airport. When Trump is in town, flights are stopped and those businesses told CBS they lose about $30,000 when they're closed on a weekend.

Trump has yet to visit Camp David, the presidential retreat nestled on Catoctin Mountain near Thurmont, Md. Located about 60 miles from the nation's capital, presidents have used Camp David for weekend getaways, summits with world leaders, and more.

The Washington Post reported that Camp David, which is actually a Naval installation, costs about $8 million every year to operate. Trump has not said whether he will visit the retreat, but he did seem to criticize it before he was sworn in.

"Camp David is very rustic, it's nice, you'd like it," Trump said, reports the Post. "You know how long you'd like it? For about 30 minutes."

Mar-a-Lago is an elaborate resort that Trump purchased in 1985. The house on the property is 110,000 square feet and contains 126 rooms. Camp David, on the other hand, is a cozy mountain retreat with several cabins.

The Post writes that former President George W. Bush visited Camp David 149 times, while Obama went there just 39 times.

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A new report claims President Donald Trump's three trips to Mar-a-Lago have cost taxpayers an estimated $10 million.
mar-a-lago, trips, cost, donald trump, florida, winter white house
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2017-46-21
Tuesday, 21 February 2017 11:46 AM
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