Trump's properties made $238,000 on Secret Service bills from Ivanka, Eric, and Donald Jr.'s visits

President Trump's travel has diverted a lot of money to his properties — and his children are partly responsible.

As of The Washington Post's most recent count, the U.S. government has spent $1.2 million at Trump's properties around the world throughout his presidency. At least $238,000 of that stemmed from Trump's adult children's visits as they requested Secret Service protection, the Post reports via Secret Service records.

When Eric Trump headed to Trump golf courses in Scotland; or when Donald Trump Jr. went on a hiking tip to Canada; or when Ivanka Trump stayed at their Bedminister, New Jersey, resort even when it was closed for the coronavirus pandemic; the Secret Service was billed. The Trump administration hasn't revealed just how much it pays to house Secret Service agents at Trump hotels, but Eric Trump, who runs the Trump Organization, has insisted they charge a minimal rate. On bills that do list a room rate, $175 a night was the cheapest price found, the Post reports.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

"Government ethics experts say that nothing is wrong with Trump's children seeking protection from the Secret Service," the Post writes. But it's more dubious given that their family owns the businesses charging the Secret Service for rooms, "creat[ing] the appearance that Trump family members were exploiting their publicly funded protection for private financial gain," the Post continues.

The Secret Service, the White House, and Ivanka Trump all declined to comment to the Post. Eric, Donald Jr., and Tiffany Trump did not respond to requests for comment. Read more at The Washington Post.

To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us
Kathryn Krawczyk

Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.