Donald Trump has cost taxpayers staggering amount with expensive love for golf

Trump’s presidential golf expenses have cost taxpayers an estimated $144 million since his second term began in January 2025 — nearly matching his entire first-term total.

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Donald Trump’s contentment with juggling his presidential duties and his love for golf has racked up an ungodly bill for the U.S. taxpayers(Image: Getty Images)

Donald Trump is estimated to have cost U.S. taxpayers a staggering $144 million in golf outings since his return to office in January 2025, nearly matching the total from his first term in the White House between 2017 and 2021.

The U.S. President is well-known for his passion for golf, and despite leading one of the world’s most powerful nations, he appears content to balance his presidential responsibilities with the occasional round.

Last month, Trump made headlines when he appeared at his Trump National Doral course in Miami during the ongoing conflict in Iran, enjoying a day on the greens under sunny skies while U.S. troops he had sent to the Middle East faced danger.

It was merely the latest instance of Trump carving out time for golf despite more urgent issues demanding attention, and it has become such a source of mockery among Americans that a website now exists solely to monitor the president’s golfing activities.

Drawing from Trump’s public schedule published in Roll Call, the website didtrumpgolftoday.com has tracked not only how many days the 79-year-old has played golf since his second term commenced at the beginning of last year, but also the projected cost of those trips to American taxpayers.

The figures make for disturbing reading, with the website determining that Trump has spent 103 days golfing out of 459 days since returning to office in January 2025, accounting for 22.4 percent of his presidency.

It’s understood that 16 of those days occurred in 2026 alone, but unfortunately, that isn’t the most alarming figure on the page.

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US President Donald Trump reacts after playing from the first tee to officially open the Trump International Golf Links course in Balmedie(Image: Getty)

That distinction goes to the estimated total cost of Trump’s golfing excursions since January 20, 2025, the official beginning of his second term as president, which currently stands at $144.2 million.

The website notes that the estimated cost is “based on the average price per round calculated from the cost per trip identified within the GAO’s 2019 Report on the cost of 4 Golf Trips taken by Trump in his first Presidency,” yet, regardless of how you interpret it, it is an extremely troubling figure.

What really provides context, however, is that it nearly matches the amount Trump cost taxpayers during his first term in the White House between 2017 and 2021, which totaled $151.5 million.

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President Trump’s huge security presence is what ultimately costs the most – millions, precisely – whenever he makes his golfing trips(Image: Getty Images)

In fewer than 18 months in his second term, Trump has nearly spent the full amount that he did on golf-related travel and security costs as he did in his first four years.

According to a HuffPost analysis in November, Trump’s golf expenses for 2025 would exceed $75 million if he made just two additional trips to his Mar-a-Lago resort before year’s end, which is precisely what he did, spending eight of the final 12 days in December at his luxury property.

The most alarming figure of all, however, is that should Trump maintain the same golfing schedule throughout the rest of his four-year term, the total cost could surpass $300 million – nearly twice the amount footed by American taxpayers during the seasoned politician’s first term in office.