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- Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort raked in $15,846 in US taxpayer money in December.
- The Palm Beach resort charged $396 per night for his security detail during the eight-day Christmas visit.
- As president, Trump spent 142 days at his gilded Florida property.
- See more stories on Insider's business page.
Former President Donald Trump's Palm Beach resort raked in $15,846 in US taxpayer money by charging the Secret Service $396-a-night for hotel rooms during Trump's Christmas trip to Florida, The Washington Post first reported.
The nearly $400 rooms cost almost double the price limit of $205-per-night mandated under federal rules, which can be overridden by the White House. Trump stayed at his Mar-a-Lago resort for eight days last December as he golfed and aggressively fought to overturn the 2020 presidential election.
As president, Trump spent 142 days at his gilded Florida property, which he dubbed the "Winter White House." He hosted foreign heads of state while surrounded by his loyal club members, ordered a controversial strike on the Middle East from the resort, and played many rounds of golf with political allies. (He played golf at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach about 87 times, The Post reported).
The former president's 32 trips to Palm Beach – among many other visits to Trump-owned properties over his four years in office – cost taxpayers a pretty penny. And that came after Trump promised supporters on the campaign trail that, if elected, he wouldn't have time to play golf and likely wouldn't visit his own properties. As of October 2020, Trump's properties had received $2.5 million from American taxpayers and $5.6 million from the president's campaign and fundraising group.
In the early days of Trump's White House, Mar-a-Lago charged the government $546-a-night for hotel rooms for Trump's staffers. The resort later reimbursed the government for some of its past expenses and began charging the $396 price.
-David Fahrenthold (@Fahrenthold) April 5, 2021