YOUR MONEY — Mar-A-Lago weekend trips Jan to Nov $17.4 million ?? We Can’t afford a Turkey, Pun Intended

On - Commentary, Politics, Protest 2025, purple, Your Money

What It Costs Taxpayers When Trump “Goes Home”

Since January, Trump has made roughly two dozen trips from Washington to his Florida properties.

Cost to taxpayers each time:
About $600,000 to $900,000 per trip — just for Air Force One to fly him there and back.

Total so far (Jan → Nov):
Around $15–20 million in Air Force One costs alone.

When you add Secret Service, lodging, motorcades, and support aircraft, the real taxpayer burden is much higher — but even the flight cost by itself shows the scale of waste.

Every time he goes home, your money goes with him.

What is behind the numbers.

Air Force One: Trump’s 2025 Travel Costs (Jan → Nov)

YOUR MONEY — Mar-A-Lago weekend trips Jan to Nov $17.4 million ?? We Can’t afford a Turkey, Pun Intended. Or should that be a Lame Duck.

Period covered: Jan 20, 2025 – mid-Nov 2025
Trip count: ~22 Air Force One round-trip visits to Mar-a-Lago / Florida region (based on AP, Palm Beach Post, local tracking, and pooled press coverage through November).

Cost per flight hour (public figures)

  • Low: $142,380/hr (FOIA rate cited in press)

  • Mid: $176,393/hr (NTUF FY-2020 rate)

  • High: ~$200,000/hr (commonly used press estimate)

Average flight time per round trip: ~4.5 hours (FOIA examples for Florida trips)

Estimated Taxpayer Cost, Jan → Nov 2025

Cost Basis Per-Trip Cost 22-Trip Total (Jan–Nov)
Low ($142,380/hr) $640,710 $14.1 million
Mid ($176,393/hr) $793,768 $17.4 million
High (~$200,000/hr) $900,000 $19.8 million

These figures are Air Force One operating costs only.

They do not include:

  • Secret Service protection

  • Local law enforcement overtime

  • Lodging, convoy transport, temporary duty pay

  • Cargo aircraft & support aircraft

  • Pre-trip advance teams

Those items commonly add $300k–$1M+ per trip, meaning the full real cost to taxpayers is likely higher than the AF-One operating totals shown above.

Plain-Language Summary

Since returning to office in January, Trump has made roughly 22 Air Force One trips to his private Florida properties, costing taxpayers an estimated:

$14 million → $20 million

(AF-One operating costs alone, Jan–Nov 2025)

With full security & support costs included, the real total could exceed:

$20 million → $40 million

Notes

  • Trip count reflects confirmed and pooled-press-reported presidential visits to Mar-a-Lago or Trump’s Florida golf properties through mid-November.

  • Cost estimates are based on publicly released federal operating rates and FOIA-identified flight times for Florida runs.

  • All numbers are ranges due to variations in published hourly rates and trip-specific flight times.

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