Delusional Trumpsters Refuse to Believe Trump Outspending Obama on Travel, Golfing

[paralleluniverse]

Conservative activists refuse to believe Trump is spending more on travel than Obama

NATIONAL HARBOR, Maryland — Sarah Chaulk says she remains “extremely bitter” about how much taxpayer money was spent on President Barack Obama’s travel and family vacations during his time in office.

“When Obama put his dog on Air Force One and then told us to give more to help poor people, it was a slap in the face to the entire country,” Chaulk, 60, a graphic designer from Columbus, Ohio, said on Wednesday at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), the marquee annual gathering for conservative activists.

Her friend Elaine Kent, 58, chimed in: “And when Michelle Obama and her friends went to Spain and spent millions of dollars on a vacation? They did so much nickel-and-diming of taxpayers."

They are less concerned — which is to say, not concerned at all — with recent reports that suggest President Trump cost taxpayers nearly as much in his first month in office as Obama did in a year. Their sentiments were widely shared here at CPAC, where attendees gave a wide array of explanations for why they were outraged by Obama’s travel spending but not Trump’s.

“Mr. Obama went on so many vacations and played golf every week. The news media can say, ‘Trump went to Mar-a-Lago,’ and their hair catches on fire. But if they will look at this honestly — and I’m all for the truth — they’ll see Trump is just using his own resources and money to take care of things,” Chaulk said. “It doesn’t bother me one bit.”

Over the course of the Obama administration, outrage over the president’s travel expenses became a major talking point in right-wing circles. Though debunked by fact-checkers, one rumor claimed that first pup Bo Obama got his own personal flight to join the family in Hawaii. Another faulted Michelle Obama for her allegedly lavish Spanish getaway — though the Obamas personally paid for the bulk of its expenses.

Since taking office, Trump appears to have opened himself up to similar attacks. According to the Washington Post, Trump’s three trips to Mar-a-Lago have already cost a combined $10 million — compared with Obama’s average annual travel budget of $12 million. The Post reported that the first family’s “unusually elaborate lifestyle” poses massive new logistical hurdles, creating new strains on the Secret Service that could cost hundreds of millions of dollars.

Of course, the accusation of politically motivated reasoning — of dismissing conclusions that hurt your preferred party, candidate, or ideology — isn't limited to any part of the American political spectrum. It's nothing new, or particular to conservatives, for partisans to fit inconvenient facts into their preexisting narratives.

As Vox's Brian Resnick and Julia Belluz have written, research has found that people are remarkably adept at fitting new information to existing frameworks or beliefs:

We are often guided by our emotions and deeply held biases. Humans are also very adept at ignoring facts so that we can continue to see the world in a way that conforms to our preconceived notions. And simply stating factual information that contradicts those deeply held beliefs is often not enough to combat the spread of misinformation. And, frustratingly, research finds the more knowledgeable we are about politics, the more stubborn we get on politically charged topics. We use our smarts to protect the our political groups, and not to grapple with uncomfortable truths.

CPAC attendees: We don’t believe Trump’s trips are costing more than Obama’s
Grace Germany, a Trump voter unconcerned by his travel budget. (Jeff Stein/Vox)

On Wednesday, more than a dozen CPAC attendees greeted those reports with skepticism, hostility, and, in few occasions, mild concern.

Overwhelmingly, the most common reason they cited was that they didn’t trust the underlying story — because they didn’t trust the press to tell the truth.

Donald Ely, 83, a Pennsylvania Republican Party official, had heard the stories of Trump’s travel expenses. But he wasn’t sure he could trust them.

“I resented Obama going to all these places overseas, particularly because his agenda was anti-American,” Ely said. “But the way people make up the stories about the Trumps, I don’t know if I believe it. I don’t think it’s accurate.”

Similarly, Arthur Herstein, 74, a writer from Bowie, Maryland, said he was frustrated by Obama’s “over-the-top” vacation and travel expenses.

Still, Herstein said he doesn’t believe it’s the case that Trump is on pace to spend more on vacation and travel. He waved away a Washington Post story held up on a reporter’s phone.

“I believe that the story exists,” Herstein said. “But the facts in it can’t possibly be right. That absolutely can’t be right. How did Trump spend $10 million in one month and Obama spent $11 million in a year? It defies logic.”

Of course, the idea that Trump and his supporters are frustrated by the media is nothing new. But some CPAC attendees’ distrust of even government institutions ran strikingly deep.

“I don’t trust the bookkeepers. I don’t trust the people who say, ‘This president spent X and this president spent Y,’” said Roy Postel, 58, a real estate developer from near Chicago. “The whole bureaucracy is against Trump, so I’d like to know who is getting greased to tell us what Obama spent. I wouldn’t trust anyone with an estimate of what the Trump administration has spent on travel.”
CPAC attendees: Trump gave up a lot to become president
GOP Presidential Candidates Attend CPAC Conference In Washington DC Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images

When not blaming the news media, other conservatives at CPAC turned to different explanations for why Trump’s travel tab would outpace Obama’s.

Grace Germany, sporting an “Adios Obama” pin, said she was bothered that the Obamas would take a vacation with a “humongous entourage with all of their friends — and their friends’ friends — at taxpayer expense.”

She said it would bother her if Trump did the same, but that there’s no evidence he had so far. Asked about the Mar-a-Lago trips, Germany responded that they’re different because the Trump family is accustomed to staying in the Florida home — whereas, she said, the Obamas only started taking lavish trips once in office.

“That is what they had beforehand,” Germany said.

Like many others, Germany also pointed to Trump’s pledge to refuse the president’s $400,000 salary (one that appears to be true, even if it strikes critics as a stunt). If Trump was using taxpayer money for expensive travel, she reasoned, why wouldn’t he be taking the salary?

“You have to recognize that he’s not even taking a salary,” she said. “He’s not doing this for money.”

Kent, of Ohio, also argued that Trump’s weekend getaways to Mar-a-Lago don’t amount to vacations, since he’s held some official meetings and press conferences while at his Florida home.

“When they say ‘Mar-a-Lago,’ that’s not a vacation. He’s wearing suits — he’s clearly working,” Kent says. “It stuns me that they say he’s ‘on vacation.’ I say, ‘What vacation?’”

To be sure, not everyone at CPAC dismissed criticisms of Trump’s travel expenses out of hand. In particular, the three youngest attendees interviewed — all under 30 — admitted to being concerned.

For instance, Ryan Errotabere, a 24-year-old wearing a Make America Great Again hat, said he could be troubled by the news but needed to see more. “I’d approach it the same way if a government corporation was spending too much money,” agreed Coleman Theodore, 19, of Charleston, South Carolina. “We shouldn’t be spending tens of millions of dollars traveling on vacations.”

But among the older CPAC attendees, the story tended to be simpler: Obama had ripped off taxpayers to travel abroad, and there was no reason to believe Trump was doing the same.

David Goodrige, a conservative who came from Australia for this year’s CPAC, said Obama “spent an unbelievable amount of money,” including multiple jets and helicopters. But whereas Trump had to pay for his family in New York to fly to Florida, Obama’s family lived in DC, Goodridge said.

“With Barron and Melania in New York, Trump has to have a much more diverse security detail, and that’s going to be more expensive,” Goodridge said. “If Obama had Sasha and Malia in New York, you’d see a similar security expense.”

Source: http://www.vox.com/policy-and-politi...-travel-budget

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Trump is such a big hypocrite that his cuck supporters LITERALLY can't believe it!

[Deleted]

Trump always claimed he makes his best deals on the golf course.

[Hashtronaut]

Gotta spend money to make money! Za zow!!!!!

[Wyrt]

I don't think Trumpkins being delusional is news to anyone.

[Vizardlorde]

Gotta spend money to make money! Za zow!!!!!

except he is increasing unnecessary expenses, cutting necessary ones and reducing tax revenue... if he gets re-elected on 2020 his successor will have a hard time picking up the pieces.

[Independent voter]

Trump doesn't take a salary.

[Mihalik]

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Trump is such a big hypocrite that his cuck supporters LITERALLY can't believe it!

GOoPers weren't upset by the President's travel expenses or holidays, they were upset by a **snip* and his family squatting in the White House, and that *snip* being ferried around in a white man's airplane.

But now that there's a white man in the White House, being ferried around in the white man's airplane, all is good. After all, the President gotta travel, right?

The use of the N-word here was intentional, but done with no malice towards a racial group, but to make a political point.

infracted - forbidden topics

[Amunrasonther]

This story, his supporter's denying of facts, and their hypocrisies are infuriating!

[Fahrenheit]

FYI that approx $10M DOES NOT include the cost of securing Trump Tower in NYC, which costs approximately $130K a day, so since Election Day we're talking about close to $20M and moving forward we're talking about $4M a month while Mrs Trump and his son reside there.

I'd be shocked if the whole Trump clan doesn't ring up more in travel and security costs in this first year than Obama did in all eight combined.

[Mihalik]

Trump doesn't take a salary.

Irrelevant.

The President gets paid 400k a year. A single one of his weekend trips to his "Winter White House" cost more than his salary is worth. He has been President for a month, he has been to Mar-a-Lago 3 times.

Even worse, his frequent visits to Florida are actually doing a massive damage to the local economy. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/19/u...sses.html?_r=0

Not to mention the security cost of his wife Melania remaining in New York.

[Casterbridge]

Trump doesn't take a salary.

Maybe not directly, but Trump is definitely making money for his business while he is President, the NSA have to pay for their rooms while protecting his wife at Trump Tower, quite a few foreign nationals admit they plan to stay at Trump hotels when they visit in order to stay in the good graces of the President.

There are of course the more conspiracy level stuff that's out there, but not proven as well, but we'll ignore those for now.

Trump is making a decent little bundle from being in the White House regardless.

I would also be curious if you were to subtract the security costs, how much is are these excursions costing in relation to the actual salary he would be making.

EDIT: What Mihalik said basically

[Svad]

Its abit insane, whats happening over there in the US, here in Denmark we had the infamous "Underwear" scandal, where our minister of state, Lars Løkke Rasmussen, spent around 13k danish crowns, on underwear on the pax payers dime. He almost got unseated as the leader of his political party over it.

You guys sure know how to do it Bigger and more extreme, when you put your minds to it.*

*Meaning Trump and his family / friends et al.

Ps. 13k DKR is around 2k US dollars.
pps. at the time of the scandal, he wasnt the minister of state yet.

[shadowmouse]

Gentlemen, Ladies, and others ... let's try for a bit of decorum. Extended HAHAHAHAHHAH and tossing about racist language to make a point just make opposition to Trump look like what his supporters expect and dismiss. Consider it along the lines of "don't feed the trolls"

[Hashtronaut]

Gentlemen, Ladies, and others ... let's try for a bit of decorum. Extended HAHAHAHAHHAH and tossing about racist language to make a point just make opposition to Trump look like what his supporters expect and dismiss. Consider it along the lines of "don't feed the trolls"

Shhhhhh the loudest and most vulgar becomes the winner!!!!

[Independent voter]

All presidents get criticism over how expensive it is when they travel, Obama too.

What's interesting is the golf course where Trump goes is a private club that he is part owner of. Since the president now plays golf at the club, the cost of membership has gone way up and this puts money in Trump's pocket.

[Heaterz 88]

This is what shitlibs spend their time thinking about, Trump's golf expenses. Now THAT is funny lol.

infracted - trolling

[Mihalik]

All presidents get criticism over how expensive it is when they travel, Obama too.

What's interesting is the golf course where Trump goes is a private club that he is part owner of. Since the president now plays golf at the club, the cost of membership has gone way up and this puts money in Trump's pocket.

I'm sorry but it's not the same.

Trump and his supporters spent years complaining about Obama golfing and vacationing. He spent more money golfing and vacationing in a month than Obama spent in a year.

This combined with his "cost saving" measures of defunding things like arts grants and public broadcasting (I mean, the God Emperor needs to find money to waste somewhere).

Adding insult to injury in the process destroying local and small businesses, while running on a jobs and businesses platform.

[zenkai]

I don't know anyone who would be surprised at this news...

[Mihalik]

Oooooo, shitlibs! That's a new one to me. I need to start documenting all the terms people on either side use lol

Vinland is the Norse name for America, combined with the 88 in his nickname (SS reference) and the picture in his avatar, you are either dealing with a troll here or a neo-nazi. Then there's the link to a Neo Nazi website.

Not worth the effort.

[Enthusiastic Steward]

Trump doesn't take a salary.

Technically this is incorrect. He refused the presidential rate, but has stated he will take a $1/year salary. So he does have a salary, it is $1.

Captain Nitpick, AAAWWWAAAAYYYYY!!!!!

Vinland is the Norse name for America, combined with the 88 in his nickname (SS reference) and the picture in his avatar, you are either dealing with a troll here or a neo-nazi. Then there's the link to a Neo Nazi website.

Not worth the effort.

But maybe he has some insightful thoughts on Jared Kushner's and Ivanka's roles in President Trump's inner circle?