Trump's Secret Service detail to pay $600K for golf carts and port-a-potties to use at his New Jersey club
On June 3, the agency signed a pair of definitive contracts with Associates Golf Car Service of Poughkeepsie, New York, and Restroom Resources LLC of Wrightstown, New Jersey, federal records show.
The agreement with Associates Golf Car Service Inc., for 'Golf Car Rental and Transportation Services,' is worth a potential $550,930 and runs through June 2, 2026. Restroom Resources's work order for 'portable restroom rentals and services' is worth up to $80,385, runs through May 31, 2026, and comes with a three-year renewal option, for a potential total of $333,801. Taxpayers, as is customary, will be footing both bills.
Secret Service agents in golf carts normally ride several holes ahead of and behind Trump when he hits the links, in order to ensure his security. And while it is unclear exactly how the portable restrooms will be used, they are for the convenience of agents on the property and not because they are banned from using the facilities inside, as they were rumored to be at the 5,000 square-foot Washington, D.C. spread rented by First Daughter Ivanka Trump and husband Jared Kushner in 2017.
In a email on Monday, a Secret Service spokesperson told The Independent, 'The U.S. Secret Service has contracts in place for portable restrooms and golf cart rentals to support protective operations in Bedminster, New Jersey. The golf carts are used by personnel to move around club property. Secret Service personnel have access to restrooms in club facilities; however, additional restrooms are needed to support the number of personnel onsite. These rentals also allow for restroom access in additional locations on club property and when club facilities are closed such as after business hours.'
Messages sent to Associates Golf Car Service Inc. and Restroom Resources went unanswered.
In 2019, the Secret Service allocated $95,250 to rent golf carts from Associates Golf Car Service, to be used at Bedminster over a six-month period between May 6 and October 31. It is unclear whether the new rate of $550,930 represents a far larger rental fleet this time around, or if prices have more than doubled in the years since.
Golf cart rentals at Associates Golf Car Service range from about $1,000 to $1,400 per month. None of the rental fees are shown going directly to Trump, unlike a July 2018 trip he took to his Trump Turnberry Resort in Scotland, during which the property charged the Secret Service $923 for golf cart rentals. (Trump was accused of overcharging the Secret Service by as much as 300 percent to rent hotel rooms at the Washington, D.C. hotel he owned during his first term.)
For its part, Restroom Resources, which serves New Jersey, New York, Delaware, Pennsylvania and Maryland, aims to 'provide the most luxurious portable restroom experience, ensuring comfort, sophistication, and convenience at every event. We believe in enhancing the guest experience with high-end restroom trailers that seamlessly blend style and functionality.'
'At Restroom Resources, we're redefining mobile restroom experiences,' the company's website tells prospective clients. '... We understand that traditional porta potties can be unpleasant – but your guests and team deserve better. That's why we've built our company on exceeding expectations and delivering luxury amenities in every unit.'
The initiation fee to join Trump's club in Bedminster sits at about $100,000, according to The Wall Street Journal. Last month, the Somerset County Health Department gave the club's kitchens a food-safety grade of 32 points out of a possible 100, alongside only two other establishments scoring under 40: Hunan Wok in Middlesex Borough and Ponche Suizo in North Plainfield, mycentraljersey.com reported.
The club's general manager insisted, without evidence, that the violations were 'politically motivated,' and health inspectors raised the establishment's score to 83 following a return visit in early June. Still, the club was cited for six violations, including two critical ones, such as improperly chilled milk and creamers, weak sanitizer levels, and mops stored in buckets instead of being air-dried.
Since his January 20 inauguration, Trump's golf habit has already cost taxpayers more than $53 million, according to tracking site DidTrumpGolfToday.com. During his first term, Trump's golf habit set back taxpayers a total of $151.5 million, which included security, transportation aboard Air Force 1, meals, and lodging, according to the Government Accountability Office.
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