Recently, conservative watch groups have been commenting on Trump's excessive traveling. Since he was inaugurated into the White House, Donald Trump has spent seven of his 13 weekends away from the White House, frequently visiting his Florida estate, Mar-A-Lago.
Whenever the President travels, a significant amount is always spent protecting him, feeding him, as well as the entourage he always brings in tow, including his Secret Service officials. With the immense amount of time Trump usually travels to Mar-A-Lago, well, the taxpayers' money could be in trouble.
According to NBC News, whenever Trump frequents Mar-A-Lago, he usually spends his time playing golf amidst meetings and phone conversations. In the past three months, he has also taken some high profile guests to his Florida property, including England Patriots owner Robert Kraft and China's president Xi Jinping.
The estimated cost of the President's roundtrip between Washington and Palm Beach usually amounts to $1 million. The majority of the cost is because of the use of Air Force One, which is around $142,380 per hour. Other trips are even estimated to get as high as $3 million.
Aside from financial concerns, ethical questions were also raised whether it's right for Trump to use these travels for a fiscal boost towards his holdings and the increased awareness of the name of his brand. His estate Mar-A-Lago now doubled its membership fees to a whopping $200,000, as reported by Travel Pulse.
Trump's excessive traveling actually doesn't reflect the statement he once said to a campaign crowd in Spencer, Iowa. He used to criticize President Obama for taking vacations "when there's so much work to be done." "If you're in the White House, who wants to take a vacation?" he said. "What's better than the White House? Why these vacations?"
Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton has recently made some observations about Trump's traveling, as well as George Washington Law School professor Steve Schooner. But White House officials defended Trump and said it's all part of being president.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
