Trump’s travel spending likely to exceed Obama's

Donald Trump, Barack Obama — U.S. President Barack Obama (R) greets President-elect Donald Trump in the White House Oval Office in Washington, U.S., November 10, 2016. Reuters/Kevin Lamarque

US President Donald Trump is reportedly on pace in his first year as leader of the free world to exceed former President Barack Obama's travel spending for his entire eight years. To date, the POTUS spent 21 days at Mar-A-Lago, his private Palm Beach club. These trips reportedly cost around US$21.6 million (AU$28.79 million).

Prior to his presidency, Trump slammed his predecessor for his travel expenses. "President @BarackObama's vacation is costing taxpayers millions of dollars. Unbelievable!" he wrote on Twitter in 2012.

Doing an estimate on security costs of a presidential trip is challenging because of the variations in every trip. It should be noted though that a 2016 Government Accountability Office on Obama’s trip in 2013, which lasted for four days and was similar to Trump's trips, cost the Secret Service and Coast Guard US$3.6 million (AU$4.8 million), CNN notes.

Trump is expected ti begin making numerous trips to his penthouse at Trump Tower in New York, where his wife, Melania Trump, and son Barron currently resides while the later finishes the school year. There have been petitions for Congress to reimburse New York City for the amount being spent in protecting the president’s penthouse on Manhattan's Fifth Avenue. Based on estimates, it would cost New York US$500,000 (AU$666,000) per day to ensure the Trump Tower is safe, the Washington Post reported.

In other news regarding Trump presidency, the president’s national security adviser is calling on Russia to reconsider its support for Syrian President Bashar Assad while hinting a possibility of another US military action against Syria. HR McMaster had recently talked about the dual US goals of defeating the Islamic State group and Assad’s ouster. “It's very difficult to understand how a political solution could result from the continuation of the Assad regime,” he said on “Fox News Sunday.”

McMaster explained that the dual goals were somehow "simultaneous" and the aim of Trump’s administration in ordering a missile strike against the Syrian leader is to send a "strong political message to Assad" to stop utilising chemical weapons. He added that they are prepared to do more if needed and that the POTUS will make what he thinks is the best decision that is in the best interest of the American people.

Trump previously called for civilised nations to unite with the US as it seeks an end to the “slaughter and bloodshed in Syria.” His administration reportedly hopes that Assad has learned a lesson.