Since Donald Trump reentered office in January 2025, he has made more visits to his properties than there have been weekend days in his term, according to tracking by CREW. In 512 days as president, there have been 73 weekends, or 146 weekend days, and Trump has visited the resorts and golf courses he still profits from on 191 days—amounting to over one-third of his presidency so far. These visits not only result in taxpayer spending at businesses he owns and profits from as president, but they also serve as advertisements for businesses whose values have soared and now demand seven-figure membership fees, thanks to the fact that no other club in the world can offer the regular presence of the president of the United States. 

While Americans are struggling to pay for everyday items ranging from groceries to gas due to Trump’s policies and ongoing war in Iran, Trump is shuttling down to Florida basically every chance he gets to golf at his West Palm Beach club or mingle at Mar-a-Lago with wealthy donors and members, some of whom are potentially foreign citizens, who pay exorbitant fees to be part of his club. 

President Trump seems to prefer his “winter White House” over the real thing, despite the fact that he claimed during his 2016 campaign that he would not golf or take vacations as president because there would be too much to do. Like his vow not to pursue any new foreign deals in his first term, this is one of the many promises he did not keep. Though other recent presidents have taken breaks to golf during their terms, Trump seldom plays golf at courses that he does not own, except when he’s in a country where that is not possible.

The total number of Trump’s property visits is higher, at 259, including 148 visits to golf courses. This is because the president often visits more than one property in a day, such as spending the night at Mar-a-Lago while attending a tournament at Doral or golfing at his West Palm Beach course during the day. Trump has visited Mar-a-Lago 102 times, the most out of any of his properties, followed by his West Palm Beach and Washington, D.C. golf clubs.  

In the past several months while at Mar-a-Lago, Trump has hosted foreign leaders, met with members of his cabinet and even monitored the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. These trips are not free–and taxpayers are forced to bear the brunt of the cost, some of which Trump’s company profits from. During Trump’s first term in office the Secret Service spent nearly $2 million at Trump properties, sometimes spending more than government rate limits for rooms. Records obtained by CREW showed that in just the first few months of Trump’s second term, the Secret Service spent nearly $100,000 at Trump properties. These totals also do not include the hundreds of thousands of dollars that other agencies, like the Department of Defense, have spent at Trump-owned businesses. 

Taxpayers aren’t just paying for rooms at Mar-a-Lago. Getting to a property from the White House is costly as well. Trump travels on Air Force One, which, according to an analysis by the Palm Beach Post, costs about $200,000 per hour to operate.

All presidents take vacations, and there’s no question that presidents and their families deserve robust Secret Service protection while doing so. However, Trump is unique in his choice to frequent his own businesses, essentially paying himself and his resorts with taxpayer money. 

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