President Donald Trump will embark on a 17-day vacation to his private golf club in New Jersey on Friday.
In the past, Trump repeatedly bashed former President Barack Obama for taking vacations or spending time on the golf course. But since taking office, it seems as if the president is spending time away from the White House, or the so-called "dump," as he's referred to it.
Of his 28 weekends in office, 13 of them have been spent "mostly at his properties in Palm Beach, Florida, or in Bedminster, New Jersey," according to ABC News. "The figures include a weekend during official travel overseas, and Father's Day weekend at Camp David, the government-owned presidential retreat in Maryland."
In his first 80 days, Trump's excursions to his private golf club in Florida have cost over $20 million, according to CNN. At that point in time, his travel expenses were on pace to cost more in one year than in Obama's entire eight years in office, which totaled about $97 million.
To be fair, the White House will be undergoing renovations so "everyone who works in the White House West Wing, including the Oval Office occupant himself, will be forced to clear out by week's end so that the government can replace the balky, 27-year-old heating and cooling system," ABC reported. The repairs are expected to be completed by August 21.
This isn't to say that the president doesn't deserve a change of pace from the stress of Washington to a more relaxed scenery for small periods of time, but Trump has always had to act as if he was above that sort of behavior, when in reality he's taken full advantage of it.
"Don't take vacations. What's the point?" Trump wrote in his 2004 book, "Trump: Think Like a Billionaire," according to ABC. "If you're not enjoying your work, you're in the wrong job."
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