Look, everyone knows Donald Trump loves golf. It's basically his brand at this point, right alongside the red ties and the rallies. But now that we've closed the books on the first year of his second term, the numbers are starting to leak out. And honestly? They are staggering. If you’ve been wondering how much has trump spent on golf in 2025, the short answer is: more than most of us will earn in ten lifetimes.
It’s not just about the green fees. Since the President doesn't really pay for those at his own clubs, the "spending" we're talking about is the massive logistics engine that follows him every time he wants to hit a links-style fairway in Bedminster or catch a Florida breeze at Doral.
Breaking Down the 2025 Golf Tab
According to tracking data and independent analyses from groups like Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), Trump visited his own golf properties roughly 88 times in 2025. To put that in perspective, that’s almost exactly one-quarter of the entire year spent at a golf club.
The price tag for this habit? Estimated at approximately $110.6 million for the year 2025 alone.
Where does that money actually go? It’s not like he’s buying $100 million worth of Titleist Pro V1s. The costs are almost entirely hidden in the "back office" of the presidency. You’ve got Air Force One—which costs roughly **$200,000 per hour** to operate—flying back and forth between D.C. and Florida or New Jersey. Then you have the C-17 cargo planes that have to haul the armored limos and the presidential motorcade.
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Then there’s the Secret Service. They don't just stand on the grass; they have to rent golf carts (often from Trump’s own companies), book hotel rooms for the massive security detail, and sometimes even set up temporary communications hubs.
The Breakdown of Visits by Location
Trump didn't just stick to one spot in 2025. He spread the wealth—or rather, the taxpayer spending—across several of his key properties:
- Mar-a-Lago and West Palm Beach: This remained his "Winter White House" staple. He spent about 26 days here during the colder months.
- Bedminster, New Jersey: His summer retreat. When D.C. gets too humid, he heads north. He logged roughly 14 days here.
- Trump National Doral: Used frequently for both leisure and meetings with various political allies.
- Trump National Sterling (Virginia): His go-to for a quick Saturday morning round when he didn't want to fly.
Why the 2025 Costs Are Higher Than Before
You might remember people complaining about his golf spending back in 2017. Back then, it was estimated his first-year trips cost about $13.6 million for just the first few weeks. But 2025 hit differently.
Inflation is part of it. Everything from jet fuel to hotel per diems for agents has gone up. But it’s also the complexity. Because Trump is now a "return" president, the security protocols have tightened significantly. We saw an increase in the number of Coast Guard patrols needed when he’s at Mar-a-Lago, which can cost millions just by itself.
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Another weird wrinkle in 2025 was his international travel. In the summer of 2025, he took a high-profile trip to his resort in Aberdeen, Scotland. Critics pointed out that this single weekend jaunt cost taxpayers nearly $10 million. Why? Because you aren't just flying to Maryland; you're moving a small army across the Atlantic.
The Ethics of Golfing at Your Own Club
This is the part that gets people's blood boiling, regardless of their politics. When the President stays at a Marriott, the money goes to a massive corporation. When Trump stays at a Trump property, the federal government—meaning your tax dollars—is effectively writing a check to the Trump Organization.
In 2025, reports indicated that the Secret Service was still paying hundreds of dollars per night for rooms at Mar-a-Lago. They were renting golf carts from the club. They were paying for meals. While the President himself might waive his own "stay," the hundreds of people required to keep him safe and connected to the nuclear codes still have to pay the "market rate" to his businesses.
It creates this feedback loop where the more he golfs, the more revenue his clubs generate. CREW noted that this term has seen a 37% increase in visits to his own properties compared to the same period in his first term.
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What Most People Get Wrong
There’s a common misconception that the President is "paying" for these trips himself because he’s a billionaire. He’s not. While he might pay for his own dinner or his kids' hotel rooms, the institutional cost of the presidency—the planes, the ships, the agents—is always a public expense.
On the flip side, supporters argue that he’s "working" while he’s there. The White House press office spent most of 2025 insisting that these aren't vacations, but "working retreats" where he meets with foreign dignitaries and CEOs away from the "swamp" of D.C. For example, he hosted the Finnish President and the Ecuadorian President at his clubs in early 2025.
What This Means for the 2026 Budget
As we look toward the 2026 fiscal year, the debate over how much has trump spent on golf in 2025 is becoming a major talking point in Congress. With the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) looking to slash waste elsewhere, opponents are pointing to the $100M+ golf bill as a prime example of discretionary spending that could be reigned in.
If the current pace holds, Trump is on track to spend over $500 million on travel and golf-related expenses by the time his second term ends.
Actionable Insights: Tracking the Spending
If you want to stay informed or take action regarding presidential spending, here’s how to do it without getting lost in the noise:
- Check the GAO Reports: The Government Accountability Office eventually releases audited reports on presidential travel. They are the "gold standard" for real numbers, though they usually lag by a year or two.
- Monitor the Federal Procurement Data System (FPDS): You can actually search for "Secret Service" and "Trump" to see real-time contracts for hotel rooms and cart rentals. It's public record.
- Contact Your Representatives: If the $110.6 million figure for 2025 bothers you—or if you think it's a justified expense for a working president—letting your local representative know is the only way it impacts future budget allocations for the White House Military Office.
- Follow Non-Partisan Watchdogs: Sites like Trump Golf Tracker or CREW use FAA flight records and public pool reports to count the visits as they happen, so you don't have to wait for the yearly total.
The reality is that presidential leisure has always been expensive, but the scale of the 2025 spending has set a new record. Whether it's a "working retreat" or a simple hobby, the receipt is being picked up by the public.