New reporting from Newsweek confirms what we already knew: Donald Trump is once again using the presidency to line his own pockets, just like he did in his first term.
Since last August, the Secret Service has spent $143,490 renting golf carts in a West Palm Beach ZIP code that conveniently matches Trump International Golf Club. That’s no coincidence—Trump has spent nearly 30% of his first 44 days back in office golfing at his own private clubs.
In just the past six months, Trump has cost American taxpayers more than $1.4 million for security at his for-profit properties—all while gutting security for others and making reckless cuts to critical federal programs.
This is nothing new. During his first term, Trump turned the presidency into a personal cash machine:
- In 2019, reports showed the Secret Service spent over $250,000 at Trump properties in just five months.
- By May 2020, the tab ballooned to at least $970,000, including more than 1,600 nightly room rentals at Trump hotels and clubs.
- The Secret Service was even forced to pay for rooms at Trump properties when he wasn’t there—in one case, booking four rooms for nine nights straight just because Trump visited two weekends in a row.
- In another case, taxpayers footed a $17,000 a month bill for a Bedminster cottage, even though Trump was only there a third of the time.
- By 2022, total Secret Service spending at Trump properties had nearly hit $2 million, including $300,000 at Mar-a-Lago alone.
Read the full report from Newsweek here.
Read more about Donald Trump’s record of profiting from the presidency on TrumpResearchBook.com
Published: Mar 5, 2025