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America First Audit

He said it in public. These are the documents on what happened next. Browse all records.

Why these cases

Trump sold “America First.” This record traces how public money, power, and risk moved toward family businesses, donors, favored firms, and foreign governments: and what workers, ranchers, retirees, patients, veterans, and small investors were left to absorb.

Said vs. done

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Case 82 of 254

Taxpayers at Trump Properties

Actions
documentedTrump began a set of four early presidential trips to Mar-a-Lago reviewed by GAO.U.S. Government Accountability OfficeRead record · 1 source
Outcomes
documentedGAO estimated $13.6 million in federal operating costs for four trips; that total is not the amount paid to Mar-a-Lago.U.S. Government Accountability OfficeU.S. Government Accountability OfficeRead record · 1 source
People and impacts
Who gained
A House oversight report said Secret Service records showed more than $1.4 million in lodging spending at Trump-owned properties from January 20, 2017, through September 15, 2021.Open cited record
  • Trump-owned property businesses
  • Trump-owned property businesses
Who paid or was affected
  • United States taxpayers
  • United States taxpayers
  • United States Secret Service

Amounts and affected parties

  1. public costFour Mar A Lago Trip Cost$13.6 million total federal trip cost
    Estimated public spending source
    United States taxpayers
    Loss or cost borne by
    U.S. Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, and other federal agencies incurring the cited costs
    estimated · 2019-02-05 · observedRead source record
    Calculation detailsPopulation United States taxpayers; United States taxpayers; United States Secret Service; Trump-owned property businesses; Trump-owned property businessesPeriod 2017-02-03 to 2017-03-05Basis GAO combined DOD and Secret Service operating costs for four trips.Limits GAO's estimate combines Defense and Secret Service operating costs; it is not property revenue and excludes some costs outside GAO's scope.
  2. paymentSecret Service Trump Property Lodgingmore than $1.4 million in Secret Service lodging payments
    Paid by / source
    United States Secret Service
    Received by
    Trump-owned property businesses
    Financially affected
    United States taxpayers
    realized · 2022-10-17 · observedRead source record
    Calculation detailsPopulation United States taxpayers; United States taxpayers; United States Secret Service; Trump-owned property businesses; Trump-owned property businessesPeriod 2017-01-20 to 2021-09-15Basis Use the House committee's total from Secret Service expenditure records and retain it separately from GAO's four-trip operating-cost estimate.Limits The committee described the record production as incomplete; gross lodging payments are not business profit.
Promise and assessment
The promise
documentedTrump told CPAC that presidential work left little time for golf.The American Presidency ProjectRead record · 1 source

Promise contradicted

The total trip cost is public operating expense, not Trump revenue. Separately, the Secret Service paid at least $1.4 million to Trump-owned properties during the stated period.

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