Wednesday, August 13, 2025
On Aug. 13, 2025, President Trump made a local trip to the Kennedy Center for an official event. Estimated taxpayer cost: ~$98K, covering security, a DC motorcade, and incidentals per routine benchmarks.
ACTIVITY BREAKDOWN
On-site Secret Service protection and staff support (White House and Kennedy Center)
Secret Service and staff for a routine presidential movement within DC, with no evidence of off-site or overnight surge; Kennedy Center detail under standard DC event protocol per GAO and multiple DC motorcade benchmarks.
Presidential motorcade operations (White House ↔️ Kennedy Center)
Estimated cost for roundtrip short presidential motorcade within DC for a non-emergency occasion, as benchmarked by GAO and news sources for local trips to external venues.
Incidentals (meals, logistics, minor overtime)
Capped at 15% of (travel + security) for typical miscellaneous expenses on a non-extraordinary, in-city White House event day.