The cost of President Donald Trump's trips to his Mar-a-Lago Club is becoming more clear.
For two of his first trips to Florida after taking office, the Department of the Air Force spent nearly $1.3 million to fly the president to Palm Beach County on Air Force One, conservative watchdog group Judicial Watch said Thursday.
The group, which also tracked the price of President Barack Obama’s travels, received the information about Air Force One costs for Trump’s Feb. 3-6 and March 3-6 trips to Florida from documents provided by the Air Force in response to Freedom of Information Act requests.
» COMPLETE COVERAGE: President Donald Trump in Palm Beach
The cost per hour to operate Air Force One is $142,380, a price that includes “fuel, flight consumables, aircraft overhaul and engine overhaul,” the Air Force told Judicial Watch.
The Air Force documents show Trump flew on Air Force One a total of nine hours between the two trips: 4.7 hours for the Feb. 3-6 trip from Andrews Air Force Base to Palm Beach International Airport and back; and 4.3 hours for the March 3-6 trip, which has a similar route but included a stop in Orlando on Trump’s way to Palm Beach.
That puts the total cost for Air Force One for the two trips at $1,281,420.
That does not include other federal costs, such as Secret Service and Coast Guard protection, and the large military cargo planes that ferry Marine One and motorcade vehicles to and from Washington, D.C.
» FLORIDA FACTOR: How Mar-a-Lago visits were a big part of President Trump's first 100 days
“We’re pleased the Air Force finally gave us some numbers for President Trump’s travel,” Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton said in a news release. “We’re preparing to go to court to get a full accounting of President Trump’s controversial trips.”
The details come just days after Congress agreed on a spending plan that includes money to reimburse local governments and law enforcement agencies for costs related to protecting Trump when he visits one of his residences outside Washington, D.C., including Mar-a-Lago, Trump Tower in New York, and Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, N.J.
» U.S. budget deal gives county shot at Trump security reimbursement
Trump's nine trips to Palm Beach since winning the Nov. 8 presidential election have resulted in a bill of about $4 million for Palm Beach County, with most of that paying for county sheriff's deputies who work overtime to protect the president when he is in town.
If the $1.1 trillion budget is signed by the president, local governments would submit Trump-related expenses to the federal government for approval, then receive reimbursement.
Democratic U.S. Rep. Lois Frankel, whose district includes Mar-a-Lago, said members of Congress from New York and Florida worked together to ensure some form of reimbursement for their constituents.
"Relief is finally on the way for local law enforcement agencies that have provided protection for the president," Frankel said Monday in a statement. "With the proposed federal funding bill, the Palm Beach County sheriff and any other law enforcement agency that provided protection can apply for money to cover their costs."
Republican Congressman Brian Mast of Palm City also cheered the spending plan.
» Trump spends too much time at Mar-a-Lago, says GOP senator
"The government funding bill passed today includes $61 million to reimburse communities for presidential security costs, and I'll continue pressuring leaders in Washington to ensure Palm Beach County receives full compensation," Mast said in a statement released Wednesday.
White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer defended Trump's weekend trips to Mar-a-Lago in a March press briefing, saying the visits are "part of being president."
Spicer echoed statements by the late first lady Nancy Reagan, who said presidents don’t get vacations, just a change a scenery.
“Presidents always travel,” Spicer said in the March briefing. “Wherever he goes, he carries the apparatus of the White House with us. … The president will continue to go and travel around the country and have meetings to solve the nation’s problems.
“The president’s very clear that he works seven days a week,” Spicer continued. “This is where he goes to see his family. He brings people down there. This is part of being president.”
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