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Judicial Watch: Two Trump trips to Mar-a-Lago cost more than $1 million

by Nikita Vladimirov - 05/04/17 1:50 PM ET

The conservative legal watchdog organization Judicial Watch says President Trump’s flights to the Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida for two weekends in February and March cost taxpayers $1,281,420.

According to the watchdog group, the figures were obtained from the Air Force in response to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests.

The records also revealed that the average cost to operate president’s airplane is $142,380 per hour, Judicial Watch said.

The documents show that the trips between Feb. 3 and 6 and March 3 and 6 took a total on nine hours, with the latter trip including a stop in Orlando.

“We’re pleased the Air Force finally gave us some numbers for President Trump’s travel,” said the president of the organization, Tom Fitton.

{mosads}“We’re preparing to go to court to get a full accounting of President Trump’s controversial trips. Judicial Watch tracked some of the costs of President Obama’s unnecessary travel and we’re not closing up shop with a new administration.”

Judicial Watch had previously kept a close track of money spent on former President Barack Obama’s trips, which cost the taxpayer just under $97 million since 2009.

Last week, Trump defended his trips to his resorts, stating that they are cheaper than a visit to the Trump Tower in New York City.

“I love New York, but going back is very expensive for the country because they close up Fifth Avenue and they close up 56th Street … and I always feel a little bit guilty when I go there,” he said in an interview on Fox News.

“But I have a place there that costs almost nothing because its hundreds of acres and security and they don’t have to close up streets,” he said.

Tags Barack Obama