Sunday, February 16, 2025
On Feb 16, 2025, Trump’s trip from Mar-a-Lago to the Daytona 500 and back racked up ~$598k in federal taxpayer costs: Air Force One, security, police, and logistics for this single high-profile leisure outing.
ACTIVITY BREAKDOWN
VC-25A (Air Force One) Flight: Palm Beach Intl to Daytona Beach Intl and Return
Estimated 0.83 flight hours (0.42h each way, based on GCMAP distance [170 mi/leg, plus taxi]) at $177,843/hr, per DoD/Finance Monthly/NTU standards. Domestic, no support factor.
Secret Service & Federal Security Detail (off-site, full day)
Peak off-site Secret Service protection and federal support for Mar-a-Lago and Daytona 500 venues per GAO-19-178, Finance Monthly, Helsinki Times, often cited at $300k/day for such events.
Local Law Enforcement (Palm Beach + Daytona Beach)
Sheriff and city police pivotal for crowd, traffic, and event security at both Mar-a-Lago and Daytona 500 (see Frankel.gov, Yahoo reporting, Guardian March 2025, Finance Monthly).
Motorcade & Ground Transport (Mar-a-Lago, airport, Daytona)
Short and high-profile motorcades at Mar-a-Lago, PBI, Daytona Beach airports, plus Daytona 500 event transfer. Typical cost per benchmarks, doubled for multi-venue day.
Incidentals (support/meals/logistics)
Incidentals include meals, logistics, and unitemized federal support at 15% cap of subtotaled travel + security costs.