President Donald Trump’s first weeks in office have undeniably been some of the most unprecedented in modern presidential history. He broke former President Barack Obama’s record for most executive orders in his first week, implemented highly controversial immigration policies and accepted the resignation of his national security adviser after just 23 days, just to name a few.
Just over a month into his new job, Trump has already logged more travel miles than most presidents in their entire first 100 days in office. His trips to a members-only resort he typically calls the “Winter White House,” are some of the most expensive and frequent of any modern president’s initial travels.
Trump has spent 11 of his first 33 days as president at his luxurious, sprawling Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, celebrating Super Bowl festivities and hosting world leaders like Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Eyebrows were raised when Trump dealt with a security crisis involving North Korea on his cellphone in front of restaurant diners.
President Donald Trump announced his new National Security Adviser Army Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster (L) and that acting adviser Keith Kellogg (R) will become the chief of staff of the National Security Council at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida Feb. 20, 2017. Photo: Reuters
Despite a turbulent month in office, Trump has spent a considerable amount of time playing golf – a sport he routinely criticized Obama for enjoying throughout his tenure in the Oval Office, saying at a Virginia rally in 2016, “I’m going to be working for you, I’m not going to have time to go play golf.” In total, Trump has played golf six times while in office.
On Sunday morning, Trump certainly found time to hit the links and not with world leaders but with golf superstar Rory McIlroy. Trump spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders wouldn’t name the president’s golf partner that day, telling reporters the president’s time on the course was “a couple of holes.” Sanders backpedaled on Monday when she acknowledged in a statement that Trump had been on the course much longer that previously stated after McIlroy publicly commented that he and Trump played 18 holes.
Past presidents have mostly adhered to spending their first few months in office crafting legislation in the Oval Office. Dating back to the Franklin Roosevelt administration, the president’s first 100 days have long been considered a way to measure the commander-in-chief’s accomplishments and successes.
Obama hadn’t played a single round of golf by the time Trump enjoyed a full game with McIlroy. Having taken office amid a financial crisis, Obama spent his first month as president signing orders to drastically overhaul the nation’s financial regulations.
Fresh off a bitter recount battle, George W. Bush pushed for his massive tax cut plan in his first 100 days but also dealt with a U.S. reconnaissance plane that was forced to make an emergency landing on a Chinese island after being hit by a Chinese fighter jet.
Bill Clinton was bogged down by a divided Congress during his first 100 days, seeking to resolve issues related to his initial choice for attorney general, Zoe Baird, who had drawn heightened criticism over the hiring of undocumented immigrants for household work and failing to pay taxes. Clinton was also dealt some immediate domestic crises, which included a deadly 51-day siege in Waco, Texas, that eclipsed most other issues the new president faced.
Ronald Reagan spent his first 100 days almost entirely in Washington, D.C., prioritizing tax cuts and economic reform, while his successor, George H.W. Bush, took a four-day-long trip in April 1989, visiting six states to discuss the plans he laid out and the successes his administration were already celebrating.
Trump, meanwhile, has remained consistent in challenging presidential protocol. He has spent a sizable portion of his time traveling to states he secured during the presidential election as part of his national “thank you” tour, as well as his weekend trips to South Florida.
Trump’s excursions also come with a hefty bill. Taxpayers are already expected to pay $10 million for his Florida trips– a figure that could reach hundreds of millions by the time he leaves both of his apparent “White Houses.”
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