Trump Not Concerned About Mar-A-Lago Cost Criticism, Spicer Says
Donald Trump is not concerned about the flak he has received for the cost of trips to his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said Wednesday. Florida Democrats have said security and travel costs associated with the president’s visits to the exclusive resort have become a “financial burden” on the local government.
Since he assumed office on Jan. 20, Trump has traveled to Mar-a-Lago five times. However, he spent the last weekend in Washington, D.C.
When a reporter asked, during Wednesday’s press briefing, whether the president’s decision to stay back in the capital was in response to the criticism he received over the expenditure, Spicer said: “The president wanted to be here last weekend. He wants to be here this weekend. He’ll be here, and then I will have updates on where he’ll be going forward.”
When followed up by asking whether Trump is “concerned about that pushback,” the press secretary said: “No, he feels great.”
On Tuesday, congressional Democrats announced that the Government Accountability Office will review Trump’s travel costs associated with his Mar-a-Lago trips. The office will also examine the security and handling of classified information related with his stays in Palm Beach.
Earlier this month, a CNN report said officials in Palm Beach County were planning to increase taxes if the federal government or the president does not help the county cover costs associated with the trips.
CNN, citing estimates provided by the Palm Beach County sheriff’s department, reported that about $60,000 is spent on overtime every day when Trump visits Mar-a-Lago.
"It means the local taxpayers will have to bear the added burden of being part of the security for the president of the United States," Paulette Burdick, the Democratic mayor of Palm Beach County, told CNN. "It will either be cuts or increase in taxes."
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