Americans are not happy Donald Trump’s uber-wealthy cabinet of millionaires and billionaires and their habit of using taxpayer-funded jets to fly around the world when commercial flights are readily available for a fraction of the cost. And while Republicans in the House and Senate are slashing Medicaid funds—money that provides assistance for the poor, elderly, disabled and children—there is no limit to Donald Trump’s excessive travel expenses. Not only is there no limit, there isn’t even a discussion among the so-called, self-proclaimed “fiscal conservatives” to limit Trump’s personal golf outings to his own privately owned golf courses.
Look how much money the taxpayers have spent renting golf carts from Donald Trump-owned businesses! From USA Today:
The Secret Service has spent at least $137,505 to rent golf carts to protect President Trump this year at his private clubs in New Jersey and Florida.
According to federal purchase orders flagged by the progressive PAC American Bridge and reviewed by USA TODAY, the agency paid $61,960 in a Sept. 29 contract to rent golf carts at the Trump International Golf Club in Florida.
That’s the biggest purchase order for golf carts so far. It comes in a contract that will extend through May 28, 2018. The agency signed contracts for golf carts at Trump’s clubs as early as February, but they never exceeded about $18,000 – and only lasted for one month at a time.
In only nine months, Donald Trump has taken at least 68 golf outings. One hundred percent of those trips were to golf courses he owns in Florida, New Jersey and Virginia. The website Trump Golf Count has been using publicly available data and news reports to track the number of times and the expense of Trump’s golf trips and they estimate taxpayers have spent at least $72,057,931 thus far. Given that Trump owns the properties where this money is being spent, how much of that went straight into Donald Trump’s pocket? Staff, security personnel, all eating, drinking, sleeping at Trump-owned properties every weekend.
You’d think for the betterment of the nation, a so-called billionaire could pitch in for his own golf travel or at least reduce the frequency of the trips, setting the tone for reducing wasteful spending. If Republicans are serious about slashing government waste and reducing budget expenditures, it’s time to get a grip on Trump’s golf outings and put a limit on wasteful, frivolous spending on personal travel.