How Much Is Former President Trump Still Costing Taxpayers?
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Gabrielle Olya
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Being president comes with perks that extend past your time in the Oval Office, so even though former President Donald Trump is no longer in the White House, he’s still getting benefits courtesy of your taxpayer dollars. Here’s a look at the post-presidential perks taxpayers foot the bill for — plus, other ways Trump is still costing American taxpayers.
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An Annual Pension of Over $200,000
The Former Presidents Act of 1958, which provides several benefits and perks that are available to presidents after they leave office, entitles former presidents to an annual pension equal to the pay for a cabinet secretary, according to the National Taxpayers Union Foundation. In 2021, that amounts to $221,400.
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Office Space and Staffing
Starting six months after a president leaves office, the General Services Administration (GSA) provides funding to establish, furnish and staff an official office anywhere in the country. Trump will be allotted $96,000 a year for staffing costs, WCNC Charlotte reported.
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Trump has established his office in Florida, though it’s unclear how much it will end up costing taxpayers. For perspective on how much office rent typically costs taxpayers, former President Bill Clinton’s rent in New York is about $429,000 and former President George W. Bush’s Texas office space costs taxpayers $434,000 a year.
Travel Expenses
The former president can be reimbursed for up to $1 million in costs for security and official travel each year.
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Secret Service Protection
Former presidents and their spouses are eligible for lifetime protection from the Secret Service, though the related costs are classified, according to the National Taxpayers Union Foundation. The protection also applies to a former president’s children until they are 16, Business Insider reported, so security for Barron Trump would be provided until he is that age.
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Just before leaving office, Trump extended post-presidency Secret Service protection to his four adult children and two of their spouses, as well as three key officials, for six months following his White House exit, The Washington Post reported. The added security perk for the Trump family is expected to cost taxpayers millions of dollars.
Other Miscellaneous Expenses
Taxpayers foot the bill for a number of other miscellaneous expenses related to a former president’s official business, including phone bills, mail, satellite TV packages and office supplies, WCNC Charlotte reported.
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Trump’s Claims of Election Fraud Have Cost Taxpayers Over a Half-Billion Dollars — And Counting
According to The Washington Post, Trump’s falsehoods about the November 2020 election have left taxpayers with a large and growing bill that totals $519 million as of Feb. 6. That number accounts for the legal fees prompted by dozens of lawsuits, heightened security in response to death threats against poll workers and repairs needed after the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol. More than $480 million of the total cost is attributable to estimated expenses for the deployment of National Guard troops on the streets of Washington, D.C. through mid-March following the Capitol attack.
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The official costs of Trump’s election fraud claims are still being tallied and may never be fully known, The Washington Post reported.
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