It’s an accepted fact: Presidents must have an entourage of security and other staff when they travel, because they must be prepared to lead the country through any contingency at any moment, even when they’re not at the White House.
But presidents could be a bit more friendly to taxpayers if they limited their travel more to what was necessary instead of simply hopping aboard Air Force One or Marine One on the fly.
President Joe Biden frequents his home in Delaware — multiple weekends every month, in fact — and it’s costing taxpayers a fortune, according to a new report.
Biden’s frequent trips to his home state of Delaware have cost American taxpayers at least $11 million since the start of his presidency according to a Fox News analysis.
The president has made 57 trips to Delaware, according to former CBS News correspondent Mark Knoller who tracks presidential travel.
He noted on Oct. 22: “By my count, this is Biden’s 56th visit (177 days) to Delaware, his 11th time in Rehoboth Beach. Compares at same point in presidency to: Trump trips to Mar-a-Lago/Bedminster: 32 visits/143 days. GWBush trips to Texas ranch: 44/134.
By my count, this is Biden’s 56th visit (177 days) to Delaware, his 11th time in Rehoboth Beach. Compares at same point in presidency to:
-Trump trips to Mar-a-Lago/Bedminster: 32 visits/143 days
-GWBush trips to Texas ranch: 44/134.— Mark Knoller (@markknoller) October 22, 2022
Knoller wrote on Oct 8: “This 88th weekend of his presidency finds Biden at home in Wilmington, DE. Brings his weekend scorecard to: Delaware: 44 weekends. Camp David: 18. WH: 17. Foreign Trips: 7. Nantucket: 1. Kiawah Island; 1.”
This 88th weekend of his presidency finds Biden at home in Wilmington, DE. Brings his weekend scorecard to:
Delaware: 44 weekends
Camp David: 18
WH: 17
Foreign Trips: 7
Nantucket: 1
Kiawah Island; 1— Mark Knoller (@markknoller) October 8, 2022
Fox News added:
Public documents from the Department of Defense comptroller show that the Marine One helicopters used by the president cost between $17,065 and $20,206 per hour.
The helicopter trip between the White House and locations in Delaware takes roughly an hour, according to the president’s schedule.
Air Force One’s operational costs are $177,843 per hour, and the trip to Delaware takes roughly 30 minutes, according to the president’s schedule.
While Biden trumpets decline in Deficit, he glosses over National Debt which topped $31- trillion this month and now stands at $31.2-trillion. It’s up $3.4-trillion so far on his watch.
— Mark Knoller (@markknoller) October 21, 2022
This puts the total operational costs for the trips, including each method of transportation, at about $4 million.
Documents obtained by the New York Post last year showed a Secret Service cost of $1.96 million on the president’s first 16 trips to Delaware. A per-trip cost from these data applied to the president’s now 57 trips leaves an approximate $7 million tab for taxpayers.
The $11 million receipt for Biden’s Delaware trips is probably a significant underestimate since it does not tally many other miscellaneous costs.