Why?
Upon becoming First Lady but while still living with her son Barron in New York City Melania Trump flew on Air Force jets 21 times in just a few months, costing taxpayers $675,000.Â
“Air Force jets flew Mrs. Trump to and from New York City, Florida and Washington under an arrangement unlike any modern first lady because she was living in New York after President Donald Trump’s inauguration to allow their son Barron to finish the fifth grade,” The Wall Street Journal reports.
The trips were taken between late January and April.
High ranking members of the Trump administration have also come under fire for excessive use of chartered jets, including now-former Health and Human Service Secretary Tom Price, who ultimately was forced to resign over the scandal. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke is also under investigation for his travel.
The Washington Post in October revealed Energy Secretary Rick Perry, Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin , and senior adviser Kellyanne Conway are all under fire or under investigation for excessive and costly travel.
Before he became President, Donald Trump frequently attacked President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama, including for trips the First Lady took.
By comparison, in eight years Michelle Obama’s travel cost taxpayers $2.8 million, or an average of $350,000 per year.
Image by US Dept. of State via Wikimedia
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