Melania Trump Spent $675,000 Taking 21 Air Force Flights In Three Months During Delayed White House Move
First lady Melania Trump was the subject of controversy during her approximately 145-day late move from Trump Tower into the White House after President Donald Trump’s inauguration, as reported by the Inquisitr, with that delayed move projected to cost $21 million in security. Now newly-released information about Melania’s military flights and their estimated cost of more than $675,000 during the same time period comes amid controversial talk over whether or not Mrs. Trump is an “opportunist” who could be a narcissist.
Adding to the daily updates about Mr. Trump’s alleged former mistress Stormy Daniels – along with whether or not Melania will get blamed for alleged adulterous affairs like Hillary Clinton – comes a new report from The Wall Street Journal about the cost of flights Melania took in a three-month period. According to the publication, a request for military records revealed that Melania flew on Air Force jets 21 times when she lived in New York, prior to moving to the White House in June 2017.
Melania’s Air Force jet flights were unconventional for a first lady due to Mrs. Trump remaining in Trump Tower as she awaited Barron Trump’s completion of fifth grade. Records requested and scrutinized by The Wall Street Journal reveal that Air Force jets completed LaGuardia Airport trips in New York a minimum of 19 times for Melania. There were nine trips to and/or from Palm Beach International Airport for Melania.
The records uncovered the costs of the military flights from Trump’s Inauguration Day through April 2017. It appears it took quite some time for the information to be released to the publication since the request was made in May 2017. The costs have been broken down in detail, which note the 48 flights that Melania took from January to April 2017.
Mrs. Trump’s flights occurred between Palm Beach, New York, and Washington, D.C.
The information about the costs of Melania’s flights comes in the wake of President Trump often criticizing former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama for the cost of their flights, as reported by Politico.
President Trump turned to Twitter in 2012 to complain about Mrs. Obama’s ski trip to Colorado that came with an $83,000 expense for Secret Service security and other costs.
Melania’s costs were high due to Air Force jet flights into and out of Joint Base Andrews, with some flights being empty as they returned to or left the base. The most expensive trip during the period cost $106,627. On April 13, when Melania flew to Palm Beach on a C-32A that comes with a government expense of approximately $16,000 per hour, she was only aboard for one of the trip’s three legs.
