Who Pays for Donald Trump's Expense Account?

Are there any limits on how much of the taxpayers' money the president can spend on himself?  Should we expect him to spend our money responsibly or is it ok for him to spend it however he chooses?  I'm pretty sure he gets paid for being president, so he shouldn't expect to live like a king at our expense.

Donald Trump has been in office for about a month and has already run up a tab of a little over $10 million for his commutes each weekend to Mar-A-Lago, his private club in Florida.  Now to be fair, he's required to be accompanied by an entourage of Secret Service agents and other support staff and that gets expensive.  

My problem is that he doesn't have to go to Mar-A-Lago every weekend.  He goes there because he wants to.  He could just stay in the White House like every other president has done since it was built.  He's started calling it "The Southern White House," so it sounds to me like he plans to keep going there often.  Can you imagine going to a resort every weekend and then telling your boss he has to pay for it?  And I wonder if he's also billing the taxpayers for his suite and entertainment at Mar-A-Lago.  After all, it's a private club and staying a couple of nights there would cost some serious money.  

And what about Camp David?  That's the presidential retreat outside of Washington that serves as a place for the president to get away from the White House for awhile.  It's owned by the taxpayers and it exists to provide the president with a place to go when he/she needs a break.  Presidents have used it for years and have had leaders of other countries stay there many times.

To put things in perspective, Barack Obama took occasional vacations too.  He spent an average of $12.1 million of taxpayer money each year to pay for his entourage of Secret Service agents and support staff.  And he paid for his family's expenses out of his own pocket.  Most of the time he just stayed in Washington at the White House.

And then there's Melania Trump's residence in New York City.  The tab for her security and support staff is estimated at a little more than $15 million per month.  Well, more than a little more that $15 million per month.  It's actually estimated at $15.25 million per month.  That's 371 times the average yearly salary of an American worker.  For just one month.

Now I understand the fact that they have a son in school in New York and they don't want to turn his life upside down by moving him to a new school in Washington.  It's their choice, not mine.  But I don't think the taxpayers should have to foot the entire bill for it, especially when the president is telling us every day how the government is spending our tax money unwisely.  We didn't put the Trumps in a position where they had no choice in the matter.  They chose this arrangement themselves.  They apparently don't think they have to make hard choices like other Americans.  And was this the only reason, or was it also because New York offers a more glamorous and less toxic social life than Washington?

So if you've been keeping track of the math, you've probably realized that the taxpayers will be subsidizing the Trump's lifestyle to the tune of $303 million per year, or about $4.2 billion during Donald Trump's first term as president.  Taxpayers will be paying for this because of his choices, not because of necessity.

All this is happening at a time where the programs that average Americans depend upon are being quietly discontinued through a series of executive orders and presidential mandates.  We're told every day that our country is near financial ruin and there must be cutbacks, yet it's leader spends our money like it's his own to use for whatever personal comforts he desires.

You can decide for yourself, but this looks like hypocrisy to me.