A Fox News analysis revealed that Joe Biden’s constant trips to Delaware have cost taxpayers at least $11 million since the beginning of his presidency. The data supporting data was collected by former CBS correspondent Mark Knoller, known for his White House reporting.
The president has taken 57 trips on 101 flights to his home state, where he spends time at his homes in Wilmington and Rehoboth Beach. All of these flights have been direct between the White House or Joint Base Andrews and Delaware: 71 flights were operated by Marine One and 30 with Air Force One.
Travel costs
Travel on Air Force One or Marine One, as well as the president's Secret Service security costs, are funded with taxpayer money.
The helicopter ride between the White House and Delaware takes approximately one hour. Public Department of Defense documents show that flying on Marine One costs between $17,065 and $20,206 an hour. On the other hand, Air Force One costs $177,843 per hour, and the trip to Delaware takes approximately 30 minutes.
This puts total operating costs, including both methods of transportation, at about $4 million.
Documents obtained by The New York Post last year showed the Secret Service's cost of $1.96 million for the president's trips to Delaware. This figure applied to the 57 trips leaves a tab of approximately $7 million more, which also comes out of taxpayers' pockets.
$11 million may be an understatement
$11 million for Biden's travel to Delaware is probably a "significant understatement” as it does not account for many other miscellaneous costs, such as additional helicopters, travel to or from military airports before or after an Air Force One flight, and accommodations for accompanying personnel.
Biden's stays in his home state sometimes extend beyond the usual presidential weekend break. He often goes to Delaware on Thursdays to work from home on Fridays and stays for the weekend. He almost always returns to Washington on Monday morning instead of Sunday night.
