Trump's golfing jaunt to Ireland cost an estimated $3.6million, bringing the total taxpayer cost of the president's trips to the links to $106million
- Trump spend Wednesday and Thursday nights at his hotel in Doonbeg, Ireland
- An analysis by the Huffington Post estimates the excursion cost $3.6million
- President had to backtrack 440 miles for D-Day ceremony at Normandy
- The publication estimates that the total cost of Trump's golf trips is $105.8M
President Donald Trump's golfing excursion in Ireland cost an estimated $3.6million more than if he had remained in London during his visit to Europe, according to a new analysis.
Trump stayed at his hotel and golf resort in Doonbeg, Ireland on Wednesday and Thursday night, visiting Normandy 440 miles away on Thursday for D-Day anniversary commemorations.
The costs of the staying in Doonbeg were analysed by the Huffington Post, which claims the total cost for Trump's golf trips while in office has now reached $105.8million.
State Department contracts for the Doonbeg trip included $1,023,940 to rent cars and limos, $10,866 to install temporary phone lines, and $16,325 to rent golf carts for the Secret Service agents protecting Trump on the golf course.
Trump is seen at his golf course in Doonbeg, Ireland on Friday. An estimate places the cost of his side trip to his property there at $3.6million
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The department gave out a total of $1.5 million in contracts for the Ireland detour.
The additional estimated costs include the moving of aircraft and personnel into position for the trip, and the transport back and forth from Doonbeg to Normandy.
While in Doonbeg, Trump was seen hitting the links on Friday morning.
He may have also golfed there on Wednesday and Thursday, but the traveling press pool was kept far off the premises and the president's activities are unclear.
The Huffington Post noted that Trump's Doonbeg hotel posted photos and videos of the president's visit in its online promotional materials, but then deleted them when the outlet contacted the hotel with inquiries.
According to estimates, Trump has now spent 181 days on a golf course since taking office, roughly double the number of days that Barack Obama had spent golfing at the same point in his term.
General views of the Trump International golf resort where US President Donald Trump stayed during his three day visit to Ireland in Doonbeg, Ireland
Trump's critics point out that, aside from two annual vacations, Obama typically golfed at military bases near the White House, at a relatively low cost that covered fuel for the motorcade and Secret Service overtime.
Trump, on the other hand, prefers golfing at his own properties, and has spent many weekends at either his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida, or his property in Bedminster, New Jersey.
While in DC, he favors visits by motorcade to Trump National in Sterling, Virginia.
Each trip to Mar-a-Lago costs taxpayers an estimated $3.4 million, and each Bedminster trip at least $1.2 million.
Since taking office in January 2017, Trump has been at his Florida courses near Mar-a-Lago on 61 days; at his Bedminster resort 58 days; his course in Los Angeles one day; and on his course in Turnberry, Scotland, for two days last summer.
On Friday, a group of Irish schoolchildren said they were delighted to meet President Donald Trump on his golf course.
Clohanes National School, which has 27 pupils, is based a mile from Trump's golf club resort in Doonbeg, and when principal Aideen O'Mahoney heard the president was playing the full 18 holes, decided to take the pupils to the 9th green and chance a meeting on Friday morning.
'It was mad like, we often joke about meeting him because we live so close, and we went down this morning and he was there, it was mad,' said 16-year-old Abbi Shanahan
Standing nearby, the pupils caught Trump's attention by waving American flags, and were invited by the Secret Service to go and meet him.
Lucy Shanahan, 13, said the president was not as tall as she thought he would be but was still very nice.
'He was very nice, he was asking if there was going to be any future presidents there and did we like golf,' she said.
'We talked about golf and school, it was good to meet him, but it's a bit overwhelming.'
Her sister Abbi, 16, said: 'I debated whether to go, even get up early to go to school today, I was going to lie on for another half hour.
'It was mad like, we often joke about meeting him because we live so close, and we went down this morning and he was there, it was mad.
'He was so sound, he just told us to stay in school and asked if there'd be any future Taoiseachs but I don't know about that – I'm a bit young yet.'
After a few pictures, and an impromptu song from the children, where they sang a few verses of My Lovely Rose Of Clare, they watched the president continue his round of golf, but when asked about the president's skills, the Doonbeg children were harsh critics.
'I don't know about his golfing, one of his shots went down into the dunes anyway, down beside the beach,' Abbi added.
'Hopefully the 10th tee went better for him.'
