Taxpayers footing the bill for Trump’s lavish lifestyle:
Why aren’t watch dog groups howling?
By DFL Chairman Ken Martin
Less than a month after his inauguration, President Donald Trump true color is showing through — green. Voters might have thought because he was a wealthy businessman Trump would not take advantage of taxpayers hard-earned money, but that’s exactly what’s happening.
Why aren’t conservative taxpayer watch dog groups howling?
In one month, taxpayers have footed an estimated $11.3 million bill for Trump’s trips to Florida. (This around the cost of former President Barack Obama’s travel in one year.) Local taxpayers are also getting hit in the pocketbook; the Palm Beach Sheriff’s Department reports paying $360,000 in overtime since Jan. 20. Trump trips to Mar-a-Lago club are also good for his personal business. Prior to Trump’s election, it cost $100,000 to join his private club; after the election, the initiation fee jumped to $200,000.
And this is just the beginning. It is estimated that Trump’s lavish lifestyle will cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars during his four-year term. From flying to his luxury properties to the $500,000 a day to guard Trump Tower in New York City where the First Lady and their youngest son live, taxpayers will be footing bills they could have never imagined. Trump will personally profit if the Defense Department and Secret Service rent space in Trump Tower. The president, who is technically their boss, will also be their landlord.
To get a perspective on just how much money this is, $100 million dollars equals: one year of work for 3,500 average Americans; 28 commercial wind turbines; or about 1,587 scholarships to Harvard University. In Minnesota, $100 million would fund the proposed Boarder-to-Boarder Account to provide broadband access to rural communities. About 22 percent of homes in Greater Minnesota connect to the Internet with only basic speeds. This is impeding business expansion, students from accessing information online and families who want to use web visits to stay in touch.
Instead of the $100 million being spent to expand jobs, improve the environment or provide access to education, taxpayers will pay for Trump the public servant to keep living the life of Trump the billionaire. Conservative taxpayer groups might not want to see their president in the dog house for not keeping his campaign promise that his wealth would “save taxpayers money,” but taxpayers can count on Democrats for watching out for their interests.
Another campaign pledge Trump made if he was sent to Washington D.C. was to “drain the swamp of special interest.” Apparently he didn’t mean his own.
