President Barack Obama and the first family's golf vacations and fundraisers racked up $4,436,245 in taxpayer-funded transportation expenses in February and March, according to records obtained by Judicial Watch this week.
That brings the total travel expenses of the first family and Vice President Joe Biden to, at the very least, $61 million.
Gathered below are seven times Obama wasted taxpayer money on golf, vacations, and other travel unrelated to working for the people. Most figures use Air Force One’s official cost estimate of $206,337 per hour of operation. Other costs, like those of operating the Secret Service, are considered classified in many cases.
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1. Obama’s L.A. fundraising trip — Nearly $2 million ($1,980,835) was spent on air travel when the president flew to California in March "solely to raise money for the Democratic National Committee and to show his support for fellow Democrats nationwide,"
Judicial Watch reported. During the trip, Obama appeared on "Jimmy Kimmel Live," and attended a DNC fundraiser at the Santa Monica home of ICM Partners cofounder Chris Silbermann. It was his 32nd fundraiser in L.A. County since 2008.
2. Obama's golf outing to Palm Springs — The five hour-flight to Palm Springs, where the president hit the links at the Sunnylands country club on February 14, cost taxpayers $1,031,685.
3. First family's 17-day vacation to Honolulu —
According to Judicial Watch, "The flights to and from Honolulu for the December 2013-January 2014 Christmas vacation totaled 36.9 hours at $210,877 an hour, which comes to a flight expense alone of $7,781,361.30."
4. First family trip to Ireland — "President Obama’s June 2013 trip to Belfast, Ireland, including a Dublin sightseeing side trip by Michelle Obama, her daughters, and her entourage, cost the taxpayers $7,921,638, "
Judicial Watch reported in April 2014. According to various reports, the first lady and her daughters visited the Trinity College library, attended a performance of the Riverdance troupe, did some sightseeing in the Wicklow Mountains national forest. In Dublin, Michelle Obama stayed in the $3,300-per-night Princess Grace Suite.
5. Obama's 2013 fundraising trip to L.A. — Flight expenditures of $2,145,907 alone were spent when Obama met fundraiser and DreamWorks CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg at the presidential suite at the Hilton Woodland Hills Hotel in August 2013. During the trip, he also appeared for the sixth time on the "Tonight Show" with Jay Leno,
Judicial Watch reported.
6. First family's trip to Senegal, South Africa, and Tanzania —
The Washington Post reported that the Obama family's trip to Africa likely cost the government between $60 million and $100 million, and mixed government work with vacation time. After The Post inquired about the exorbitant expenses, the White House canceled plans for the first family's Tanzanian safari.
7. First family vacation to Martha's Vineyard — In August 2013, the roundtrip flights for the Obama family cost taxpayers $1,164,268.
The Daily Caller reported that the family stayed at the nearly $8 million home of David Schulte, founder of the private equity firm Chilmark Partners.
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