The $78,333.32 check, which oddly enough comes only a couple weeks after Trump proposed to cut $1.5 billion from the Interior Department, represents his entire presidential salary from the last quarter.
While it’s a nice gesture, Trump is either completely oblivious or completely indifferent to the fact his weekend trips to Mar-a-Lago cost the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Department and Fire Rescue nearly $70,000 a day in overtime costs, which they probably won’t ever recoup.
So far, Trump has visited Mar-a-Lago five times, which Florida legislators say has cost local authorities over $1.7 million to taxpayers.
Last week, Florida congresswoman Lois Frankel sent a letter to Trump asking for the federal government to help foot the bill. However, when pressed on this issue, White House press secretary Sean Spicer said Trump “feels great” about the costly trips to Mar-a-Lago and has no plans to help pay Palm Beach County.
On March 28, the Government Accountability Office agreed to investigate the security issues and costs surrounding Trump’s trips to his “Winter White House.”
Trump plans to return to Mar-a-Lago to meet with Chinese president Xi Jinping on April 6 and 7.
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This article appears in Mar 29 – Apr 4, 2017.
