Donald Trump's Golf Trips Cost Taxpayers $101.2M in 14 Months as Gas Prices Surge Amid Iran War

Donald Trump has spent at least $101.2 million (£78.1 million) of taxpayer money on golf trips in just over 14 months, while American households face fuel bills not seen in years.

The figure, calculated by HuffPost from a 2019 Government Accountability Office report on presidential travel costs, reflects travel and security expenses incurred since Trump's return to the White House on 20 January 2025. His 56th visit to his West Palm Beach, Florida, golf course on Saturday morning pushed the total past the nine-figure mark, marking his 110th day on a course he personally owns since the inauguration.

The milestone arrives as petrol prices nationwide have surged roughly 80 cents a gallon in a month, driven by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz following the United States-led military campaign against Iran.

The Cost Breakdown

Each of Trump's 17 trips to Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, costs taxpayers an estimated £2.6 million ($3.4 million) per visit. The expense is driven by the logistical complexity of the location, with a Coast Guard vessel stationed in the Atlantic Ocean off the Palm Beach coastline and armed law enforcement boats patrolling the Intracoastal Waterway separating the barrier island from the mainland. These water-based security operations alone account for a significant portion of each trip's cost.

The president has also made eight trips to his Bedminster, New Jersey, course, each costing $1.1 million (£848,000), and five trips to his Doral, Florida, resort at £2.1 million ($2.7 million) per visit. His single most expensive trip to date was a £7.5 million ($9.7 million) visit to Scotland, where government staff assisted with the grand opening of a new course at his Aberdeen property.

The 2019 GAO analysis established that operating the Boeing 747 used as Air Force One costs $273,063 per hour, a figure that has not decreased and has likely increased since the original calculation.

In recent weeks, the White House has listed Trump's golf outings in his official public schedule as 'executive time.' When asked whether that designation indicated the president was engaged in leisure, the administration responded that 'executive time refers to executive time.'

Public Funds at Private Profit

Jordan Libowitz, communications director at the non-partisan government accountability group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, said in response to the £78.1 million ($101.2 million) figure that 'At a time when gas prices are spiking and Americans across the country find themselves in an ever-worsening affordability crisis, the president has burned through over $100 million in taxpayer money in order to make promotional appearances at his golf courses and hobnob with millionaires and billionaires.'

The criticism carries additional weight because every dollar spent on presidential travel to Trump-owned venues also benefits Trump financially. The Secret Service pays Mar-a-Lago and his other resorts directly for operational space, catering and logistics when the president is on-site.

At Bedminster alone, the Secret Service secured contracts in mid-2025 for up to £424,700 ($550,930) in golf cart rentals and up to £61,980 ($80,385) in portable toilets, both extending into 2026, to support the protective detail when the club's own facilities are inaccessible after hours.

The Iran War, the Pump and the Political Arithmetic

The timing of the £78.1 million ($101.2 million) figure becoming public is difficult to separate from the broader economic backdrop.

The United States launched military operations against Iran on 28 February 2026, triggering the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly one-fifth of the world's oil supply ordinarily transits. Brent crude oil spiked from approximately £50.28 ($67) a barrel before the war to nearly £90 ($120) at its peak, before settling around £75 ($100) in mid-March.

At the pump, petrol prices rose by roughly 80 cents per gallon within three weeks of the operation beginning, with AAA tracking the national average at £3.07 ($3.98) per gallon as of 27 March. Diesel, which powers trucks, trains and farm equipment critical to the food supply chain, reached just under £3.86 ($5) per gallon. Gasoline spending during the second week of March was up more than 14% year over year, according to Bank of America Institute data, signalling that higher fuel costs are directly squeezing household budgets.

The Centre for American Progress noted in a 27 March analysis that the Trump administration had not refilled the nation's Strategic Petroleum Reserve ahead of the campaign, leaving the economy more exposed to the resulting supply shock.

As Americans face the highest fuel prices in years at forecourts nationwide, the president spent the final weekend of March 2026 at a golf course he owns, with his cost to the public now exceeding £78 million ($101 million) and continuing to rise.