President Donald Trump

[GwynnInTheHall]

I understand the concern, but its what we do for our presidents and their families. I think Melania and Barron will move to Washington over the summer, get back to me in Sept if they havent.

In the meantime I'm sure you'll be ok if we take the difference out of your paycheck or any govt programs you might use.

[cardboardbox]

In the meantime I'm sure you'll be ok if we take the difference out of your paycheck or any govt programs you might use.

Did Obama take all his vacations out of your paycheck?

[GwynnInTheHall]

Did Obama take all his vacations out of your paycheck?

Sure, and I'd have no issue paying for Trump's days off (even though he's on pace to be the costliest president in history when it comes to these things) and he's also every single social program I care about under the permise that they're a waste of money.

HMMMMM Living in Luxury while at the same time telling people they have to go without Meals on Wheels?

Not that you even give a shit about an answer, but there it is.

[nots]

Sure, and I'd have no issue paying for Trump's days off (even though he's on pace to be the costliest president in history when it comes to these things) and he's also every single social program I care about under the permise that they're a waste of money.

HMMMMM Living in Luxury while at the same time telling people they have to go without Meals on Wheels?

Not that you even give a shit about an answer, but there it is.

Part (certainly not all), but part of why the Trump expense is higher is there are more of them to protect. The Climtons, Bushes and Obamas had young children who lived with them. Trump has 5 kids, 4 adult, 3 with families of their own, all needing justifiably Secret Service protection. The cost was always going to be higher with them.
I doubt that once the temperature and humidity gets up In west Palm that Trump will be spending time there. I think by then, he will using his North Jersey property. Again, I have zero problem with that. Those guys work hard--if they want to work from somewhere else, I have no problem and have no issue paying for it.
The NYC thing is disgraceful and tone deaf.

[Hornsby]

I understand the concern, but its what we do for our presidents and their families. I think Melania and Barron will move to Washington over the summer, get back to me in Sept if they havent.

They are supposed to, and then return to NY for the next 9 months...so you're fine paying $200,000 per day that doesn't need to be laid on the backs of the taxpayers? I'm pretty sure that there are good schools in DC that could handle both Barron and the Secret Service...

And if the Donald is really concerned about the US taxpayers burden, we have a really nice place for the President to get away from it all called Camp David that's already secure.

[GwynnInTheHall]

Part (certainly not all), but part of why the Trump expense is higher is there are more of them to protect. The Climtons, Bushes and Obamas had young children who lived with them. Trump has 5 kids, 4 adult, 3 with families of their own, all needing justifiably Secret Service protection. The cost was always going to be higher with them.
I doubt that once the temperature and humidity gets up In west Palm that Trump will be spending time there. I think by then, he will using his North Jersey property. Again, I have zero problem with that. Those guys work hard--if they want to work from somewhere else, I have no problem and have no issue paying for it.
The NYC thing is disgraceful and tone deaf.

While I agree with most of this, what I think is being ignored is this.


Wealthy people are used to going wherever they want, whenever they want without thought to expense.

I'm sure it doesn't even cross their mind that it's costing the taxpayers exponentially more living the life they have been rather the life that's expected of the first family.

The Presidency IS supposed to change expectations and no longer are they just responsible for themselves, but for each and every one of us and the money we pay to protect them.

However THIS President isn't responsible to begin with and that's apparently not changing. So the least WE can do is point out the bullshit and hope it stops.

[GwynnInTheHall]

They are supposed to, and then return to NY for the next 9 months...so you're fine paying $200,000 per day that doesn't need to be laid on the backs of the taxpayers? I'm pretty sure that there are good schools in DC that could handle both Barron and the Secret Service...

And if the Donald is really concerned about the US taxpayers burden, we have a really nice place for the President to get away from it all called Camp David that's already secure.

CBB doesn't really care. He supports Trump and Trolls the rest of us.

[nots]

I do want to add that if you are against Trump going to Florida and were also against Obama heading to Hawaii, I disagree, but respect your consistency. If you were against Bush going to Crawford (which I remember there being a lot of people in that camp), but could then rationalize Obama in Hawaii, then I thunk its just partisan nonsense to be upset about this.

[GwynnInTheHall]

I do want to add that if you are against Trump going to Florida and were also against Obama heading to Hawaii, I disagree, but respect your consistency. If you were against Bush going to Crawford (which I remember there being a lot of people in that camp), but could then rationalize Obama in Hawaii, then I thunk its just partisan nonsense to be upset about this.

No, I mentioned earlier that an out of DC get away is acceptable and understandable-- Mar A Lago would be ok if Trump Tower wasn't also in play. BUt Three residences are one too many for me, especially when you're using taxpayers money to finance their security and then turn around and cut funding to what I consider, vital social services.

It's a very--let them eat cake, kind of move.

[nots]

No, I mentioned earlier that an out of DC get away is acceptable and understandable-- Mar A Lago would be ok if Trump Tower wasn't also in play. BUt Three residences are one too many for me, especially when you're using taxpayers money to finance their security and then turn around and cut funding to what I consider, vital social services.

It's a very--let them eat cake, kind of move.

I agree completely, but if someone was against Obama in Hawaii and is not against Trump in Florida, I respect the consistency of their argument, even if I think it's wrong. I have a very libertarian friend who actually thinks it should only be WH and Camp David.

[Moonlight J]

I do want to add that if you are against Trump going to Florida and were also against Obama heading to Hawaii, I disagree, but respect your consistency. If you were against Bush going to Crawford (which I remember there being a lot of people in that camp), but could then rationalize Obama in Hawaii, then I thunk its just partisan nonsense to be upset about this.

The frequency is one thing, but taxpayers are stuffing his coffers here and it's funneling more money into him via increased membership at the club. I saw something yesterday where someone breached security at White House-a-Lago & took a selfie in a private room? There has already been issues with security down there.

[Hornsby]

CBB doesn't really care. He supports Trump and Trolls the rest of us.

I know, but every once in a while I get drawn into that briar patch...it's a weakness of mine.

[Hornsby]

I agree completely, but if someone was against Obama in Hawaii and is not against Trump in Florida, I respect the consistency of their argument, even if I think it's wrong. I have a very libertarian friend who actually thinks it should only be WH and Camp David.

Obama and his family took an annual Christmas vacation to Hawaii, at a total cost for the 8 years of about 40 million dollars. That's opposed to the current total for Trump, which is 5 times, including this weekend, and a cost of more than 3 million a visit. So in less than 2 months, he's already at more than 15 million dollars spent of taxpayer money. As MJ alluded to, it's the frequency of the visits, not the fact that they occur. and not only is there an enormous bill for the taxpayer for both NY and Florida, Trump is actually making money on both properties by having staff and secret service stay on property, and pay for it.

I have no issue at all with a President taking a vacation, they deserve it and are always on call. I DO have an issue with the abuse of the system, all the while threatening to cut other funds from agencies that need them quite a bit.

As I've already said, Camp David is there for a reason, and it would cost a fraction of what we're currently paying.

[Redbirds Fan]

I do want to add that if you are against Trump going to Florida and were also against Obama heading to Hawaii, I disagree, but respect your consistency. If you were against Bush going to Crawford (which I remember there being a lot of people in that camp), but could then rationalize Obama in Hawaii, then I thunk its just partisan nonsense to be upset about this.

I'm for Presidents getting away from it all, even though they never really get away from it. But you remind me of the baggage handler in the movie "Trading Places" who argued to Al Franken that the short trip counted just as much as the long trip. It sounds like you are wanting to set up Trump to be okay with whatever he wants to do now because Bush went to Crawford* and Obama went to Hawaii. Obama went to Hawaii eight times in eight years. According to the vacation nazis at JudicialWatch, Obama's 2015 Hawaii vacation cost $4.8M. A good Mar-a-Lago weekend seems to be running us around $3M, so Hawaii may be the vacay bargain.

We have a right to judge Trump upon what he does 1) in its own right, 2) compared to other presidents, and 3) against what he said he would do. The last is particularly interesting to me, since he said time and again that he would be a hard working President, staying at the White House and not taking vacations. That lasted what? About four and a half days?

*(Bush went to Crawford 77 times in eight years, but he got a lot of brush cleared. And, apparently, he never let Dick Cheney touch a beer and a shotgun on the same day.)

EDIT: Just say the Horns post...duplicated a bit of his...sorry.

[nots]

Obama and his family took an annual Christmas vacation to Hawaii, at a total cost for the 8 years of about 40 million dollars. That's opposed to the current total for Trump, which is 5 times, including this weekend, and a cost of more than 3 million a visit. So in less than 2 months, he's already at more than 15 million dollars spent of taxpayer money. As MJ alluded to, it's the frequency of the visits, not the fact that they occur. and not only is there an enormous bill for the taxpayer for both NY and Florida, Trump is actually making money on both properties by having staff and secret service stay on property, and pay for it.

I have no issue at all with a President taking a vacation, they deserve it and are always on call. I DO have an issue with the abuse of the system, all the while threatening to cut other funds from agencies that need them quite a bit.

As I've already said, Camp David is there for a reason, and it would cost a fraction of what we're currently paying.

Also the Obamas took an annual vacation to Martha's Vineyard--16 days last August in fact, to which I say 'good for them'. Not an issue. Neither is Trump heading to Florida.