According to a report from the Washington Post’s Fahrenthold, the Secret Service agreed to a $179,000 contract earlier this week with a company that will supply them with golf carts to be used for just the summer when protecting Donald Trump at his New Jersey golf course.
While the Bedminster golf course is currently closed due to the COVID-19 health crisis, it is expected to open soon allowing the president to golf once again and agents to follow along in the carts that will be available to them until Oct. 31.
“The golf carts are being rented from a private vendor, New York-based Associates Golf Car Service, which has supplied similar equipment to the Secret Service in Bedminster every year of Trump’s presidency,” the report states, adding, “The contract does not say whether Trump plans to visit the Bedminster club soon. The Secret Service also protects his family, and Trump’s daughter Ivanka and her family have already visited the club this year, despite stay-at-home orders in Washington and New Jersey, as the New York Times reported.”
“Trump has visited his properties 250 times as president, including 22 visits to Bedminster,” Fahrenthold wrote. “In the past, Trump has frequently left the cottage to visit the main clubhouse, socializing with members in the restaurant and dropping in on weddings in the ballroom. Those buildings are now closed. In previous years the Secret Service has rented space from Trump’s company, paying $17,000 per month for a four-room cottage at the Bedminster club near Trump’s own.”
Both the golf course general manager and the Trump White House declined to comment on the report.