Trump on track to surpass all of Obama's travel costs in 2 years or less

[SamSpade]

The cost is beside the point when you make a campaign point that the guy you're seeking to replace isn't there enough and suggest you'll be there all the time.

So is he working less than his predecessor? Fewer hours?

 

[awpitt]

As I'd previously stated - I'm highly skeptical of the 3 million dollar claim for each trip to Mar-A-Lago.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/busi...74ccaf1d02f_story.html?utm_term=.1283fc66b350

Apparently, I'm not the only one. When sources critical of Trump quote *each other*, and the guesstimate is based on a trip made by Obama - I'm doubtful.

One MILLION per trip still seems a little high, but I am more likely to believe THAT than the oft quoted number of 3 million.

Costs run up pretty quickly. The estimate is the NYC is spending about $150,000 per day to protect the First Lady and Barron Trump. Plus, as has been pointed out many times, it costs about $$200,000 per hour to fly SAM28000 or SAM 29000 as Air Force One. So, that's about $1,200,000 just for round trip air each weekend. Doesn't count all of the other stuff that's required while in FL.

 

[awpitt]

So is he working less than his predecessor? Fewer hours?

That's not the point. Working hours is not the issue. Candidate Trump criticized his predecessor about travel habits. Candidate Trump promised to rarely leave the White House. President Trump is well on his way to making his predecessor look like a home body. `

 

[SamSpade]

Costs run up pretty quickly. The estimate is the NYC is spending about $150,000 per day to protect the First Lady and Barron Trump. Plus, as has been pointed out many times, it costs about $$200,000 per hour to fly SAM28000 or SAM 29000 as Air Force One. So, that's about $1,200,000 just for round trip air each weekend. Doesn't count all of the other stuff that's required while in FL.

I'm still skeptical. It seems from your description, the costs run up per hour of flight time - and Trump is flying to Florida, and not Martha's Vineyard or Maine.
Estimates during Obama's term for his *HAWAII* vacations were around 3 million. So a weekend in Florida for Trump is 3.5 million, but a trip for the family to Hawaii is -- *less*?

I think the press is playing games with the numbers.

 

[This_person]

No boundaries were moved. You claimed there were three First Ladies who didn't live in the White House. The only case where that is remotely true was the case with Mrs. Harrison and that was because her husband died before she had a chance to move to Washington. The other two, Mary Lincoln and Bess Truman, lived in the White House while spending summers elsewhere on vacation.

That's not what my claim was. Here's the history:

No President has maintained a separate residence for FLOTUS.

Patently false.

2. Prove it

William Henry Harrison's wife did not ever live in the White House, True Mary Lincoln lived in the Soldier's Home for quite a bit of the presidency, True then there's Bess Truman who returned to MO almost immediately after "moving in" to the White House. Again, true

I never said they didn't live there, and I wasn't countering a claim that Mrs. Trump will never live there.

 

[SamSpade]

Candidate Trump promised to rarely leave the White House.

You may be right, but I can neither recall nor find that promise. I'd appreciate it if you could produce it, because I haven't found it yet.

 

[This_person]

Exactly!!!!

If you agree the cost is besides the point, then why did most of the OP center around the costs?

 

[This_person]

Costs run up pretty quickly. The estimate is the NYC is spending about $150,000 per day to protect the First Lady and Barron Trump. Plus, as has been pointed out many times, it costs about $$200,000 per hour to fly SAM28000 or SAM 29000 as Air Force One. So, that's about $1,200,000 just for round trip air each weekend. Doesn't count all of the other stuff that's required while in FL.

You're spending a lot of time justifying worrying about the costs when you concur the cost is beside the point.

Again, your cost estimates are flawed, as the costs for Obama reported were for just vacations, and there is a big difference between receiving briefs and hosting world leaders in terms of what a vacation is.

 

[This_person]

That's not the point. Working hours is not the issue. Candidate Trump criticized his predecessor about travel habits. Candidate Trump promised to rarely leave the White House. President Trump is well on his way to making his predecessor look like a home body. `

So, at this point in his presidency, how much time did Obama spend outside the country? How much time has Trump?

Again, you are comparing apples and bricks. I didn't add the last couple of days, but as of 4/11/17:

By this point in his presidency, Obama had travelled for 20 days to 21 cities in 7 countries outside the US as well as in.

Trump, by comparison, has been on travel for 27 days, but has not left the country.

Is that really that big a difference?

 

[Larry Gude]

You may be right, but I can neither recall nor find that promise. I'd appreciate it if you could produce it, because I haven't found it yet.

It's easy to find. But, before that, would it surprise you, at all, to find a clip of him stating he'd do the exact opposite of what he is doing? And isn't he noteworthy for taking the broken campaign pledge to a whole new level of blatant-cy?

 

[Larry Gude]

So is he working less than his predecessor? Fewer hours?

I would have ZERO problem taking the side that Trump works FAR harder and FAR more hours than Obama did.

 

[This_person]

It's easy to find. But, before that, would it surprise you, at all, to find a clip of him stating he'd do the exact opposite of what he is doing? And isn't he noteworthy for taking the broken campaign pledge to a whole new level of blatant-cy?

I don't know if he is noteworthy for it, but it certainly seems pretty strong compared with recent memory.

 

[awpitt]

I'm still skeptical. It seems from your description, the costs run up per hour of flight time - and Trump is flying to Florida, and not Martha's Vineyard or Maine.
Estimates during Obama's term for his *HAWAII* vacations were around 3 million. So a weekend in Florida for Trump is 3.5 million, but a trip for the family to Hawaii is -- *less*?

I think the press is playing games with the numbers.

I understand what you're saying. The difference is that Obama, and previous presidents, stayed at private residences (donated, rented, owned) that were away of the public. IE. Easier to secure than say a resort hotel that Trump stays at. Huge difference in cost.

 

[SamSpade]

It's easy to find. But, before that, would it surprise you, at all, to find a clip of him stating he'd do the exact opposite of what he is doing? And isn't he noteworthy for taking the broken campaign pledge to a whole new level of blatant-cy?

A little concerned but I'm-a still wait and see. It's not quite like "transparency" and "closing Gitmo" or "keeping your health care" weren't broken promises, but then the press didn't hold his feet to the fire much for some of HIS.

I'm not as convinced as you that he's done with Obamacare or has failed with the wall. I do remember him saying he would WORK hard but I don't remember him saying he was going to always be at the White House. Unlike Obama, he loves the work and is accustomed to long hours. Obama for what I saw seemed to dislike the job of President but relished the position of candidate. He liked the celebrity but not the drudgery of the actual work.

Trump talked tough about China. You would have thought our big enemy was China and not - well, others. In 2012, the Democrats laughed at Romney for suggesting *Russia* was the problem, but four years later, they've forgotten all that. (I have no idea who they think our enemy is). I'm guessing he's moved China more in a few months that Obama did. He did say he'd keep us out of foreign entanglements but he absolutely promised he would bomb the #### out of ISIS. And he did - with the biggest non-nuclear bomb in existence. (I still think it was cool that he shot missiles at Syria while talking to Xi.) He said NATO was obsolete - but that was largely on the basis of deadbeat nations not paying their dues AND taking on terror. I'm going to hazard a guess and say, that will likely change. Time will tell.

 

[awpitt]

If you agree the cost is besides the point, then why did most of the OP center around the costs?

The broken promise is the primary issue. The costs are the result of that broken promise.

 

[awpitt]

You may be right, but I can neither recall nor find that promise. I'd appreciate it if you could produce it, because I haven't found it yet.

That promise was on TV. He said it during a speech.

 

[SamSpade]

The broken promise is the primary issue. The costs are the result of that broken promise.

And if the costs are exaggerated, then the promise isn't broken.

It *IS* about cost.

 

[Larry Gude]

A little concerned but I'm-a still wait and see. It's not quite like "transparency" and "closing Gitmo" or "keeping your health care" weren't broken promises, but then the press didn't hold his feet to the fire much for some of HIS. Anh, Obama knew at the time he wasn't going to keep those promises or he's dumber than I thought. Trump, because he's NOT a pol and lived a life were LOTS of things were possible and happened because he believed in them, can at least be given credit for probably meaning it at the time. I mean, he IS working which ought to be the bottom line but he's the one who made the case for how a potus OUGHT to be at the WH all the time.

I'm not as convinced as you that he's done with Obamacare or has failed with the wall. I do remember him saying he would WORK hard but I don't remember him saying he was going to always be at the White House. There are clips of him saying that very thing. Unlike Obama, he loves the work and is accustomed to long hours. Obama for what I saw seemed to dislike the job of President but relished the position of candidate. He liked the celebrity but not the drudgery of the actual work. Yup. And Trump loves BOTH

Trump talked tough about China. You would have thought our big enemy was China and not - well, others. In 2012, the Democrats laughed at Romney for suggesting *Russia* was the problem, but four years later, they've forgotten all that. (I have no idea who they think our enemy is). I'm guessing he's moved China more in a few months that Obama did. He did say he'd keep us out of foreign entanglements but he absolutely promised he would bomb the #### out of ISIS. And he did - with the biggest non-nuclear bomb in existence. (I still think it was cool that he shot missiles at Syria while talking to Xi.) He said NATO was obsolete - but that was largely on the basis of deadbeat nations not paying their dues AND taking on terror. I'm going to hazard a guess and say, that will likely change. Time will tell.

Again, time will tell, this early, is perfectly reasonable. I hold out hope as I did for Obama until he finished those first two years.

 

[awpitt]

You're spending a lot of time justifying worrying about the costs when you concur the cost is beside the point.

The broken promise is the primary issue. The costs are the result of that broken promise.

Again, your cost estimates are flawed, as the costs for Obama reported were for just vacations, and there is a big difference between receiving briefs and hosting world leaders in terms of what a vacation is.

They're not my cost estimates. If you have a problem with them, talk to the GAO.

 

[SamSpade]

The broken promise is the primary issue. The costs are the result of that broken promise.




They're not my cost estimates. If you have a problem with them, talk to the GAO.

From the link I posted, the costs published are not coming from GAO but from news sources using an Obama Palm Beach trip as a template.

And they're disputed by the AP Fact Checker article I linked to.

Here's another -

http://twitchy.com/gregp-3534/2017/...checks-costs-of-trump-travel-cnn-hardest-hit/

I think it's likely that some sources are playing hard and fast with the numbers SPECIFICALLY to make Trump look bad.
Again, I'm finding it hard to believe that a few trips to Florida are exceeding almost any single one of Obama's trips just about anywhere else.