HuffPost is out with a hyperventilating report that Trump's golf trips have cost taxpayers $102 million. The report says Trump's costs are an egregious affront to taxpayers. But here's the problem: Trump's travel costs are not a function of his profligacy, but rather of his position. The same principle applied to the Obama administration's travels (which liberal media outlets surprisingly had few complaints about).
Although, to be fair to HuffPost, conservatives cannot claim any special respectability on this issue: Too many conservative commentators unjustly attacked Obama's travel costs.
Regardless, as president, Trump must necessarily travel with a large entourage of White House staffers, military support personnel, Secret Service agents and officers, aides, journalists, and vehicles.
This isn't simply so that Trump and his family can be protected from threats. It is so that the president can command the federal government during an unexpected crisis. What if a president was in a vulnerable position and Russia or China decided to launch a nuclear war? Absent the environment of survivable command, Russia might decapitate the U.S. government and avoid a U.S. counterstrike. It might seem peripheral, but the vast envelope of power that travels with a U.S. president is a crucial ingredient in U.S. deterrence. It is also worth noting here that the vice president and speaker of the House (third in the presidential succession order) do not travel with anywhere near the same logistical and command capabilities as the president.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/stop-whining-about-trumps-golf-costs
Although, to be fair to HuffPost, conservatives cannot claim any special respectability on this issue: Too many conservative commentators unjustly attacked Obama's travel costs.
Regardless, as president, Trump must necessarily travel with a large entourage of White House staffers, military support personnel, Secret Service agents and officers, aides, journalists, and vehicles.
This isn't simply so that Trump and his family can be protected from threats. It is so that the president can command the federal government during an unexpected crisis. What if a president was in a vulnerable position and Russia or China decided to launch a nuclear war? Absent the environment of survivable command, Russia might decapitate the U.S. government and avoid a U.S. counterstrike. It might seem peripheral, but the vast envelope of power that travels with a U.S. president is a crucial ingredient in U.S. deterrence. It is also worth noting here that the vice president and speaker of the House (third in the presidential succession order) do not travel with anywhere near the same logistical and command capabilities as the president.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/stop-whining-about-trumps-golf-costs
What's the last decade when anyone in DC cared about $102 million. That's way down in the noise level. We've long crossed the threshold where "trillions" is a commonly heard word.
