Memorial Day weekend obviously is about honoring the men and women who died in service to our country.
But it's also a major recreational weekend.
Folks will be taking time to spend with family and friends and, in many cases, enjoying their favorite avocations.
For some, that's a round of golf, not to mention a few rounds at the 19th hole.
Trump's links love: Golf gets a lot of attention nowadays because it's the favorite sport of Donald J. Trump.
How much does he love the links?
So much so that that he quickly broke his campaign pledge that he would be so busy taking care of presidential business that he wouldn't have any free time to play golf.
Instead, he's been at a golf course — usually at one he owns — on average so far in his first White House term every 4.9 days, according to the trackers at the Trump Golf Count website.
His latest tee time was today in Japan, where he and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe played at the Mobara Country Club in Chiba.
Interesting side note: An earthquake shook Tokyo on May 25, just hours before Trump and his entourage arrived. The quake's epicenter was just 6 miles to the south of Mobara Country Club. Obviously, the 5.0 magnitude temblor didn't cause any damage to the course.
The pair, who have golfed together several times since Trump's election, seem to be having a good time based on the photo below posted on the official Prime Minister Instagram account.
Paying those green fees: Being the head of a country is stressful. So it shouldn't be an issue when a world leader takes a break and relieve some of the pressure of the job.
But that said, since we U.S. taxpayers cover the costs of any president's R&R, it's not unreasonable for us to ask for a receipt.
The aforementioned Trump Golf Count keeps a running tally. Its record of 178 golf trips as of today, May 26, comes to around $99 million.
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) issued a report early this year on the costs of Trump's travels just to his Mar-a-Lago golf resort. The four trips to South Florida in the initial months of Trump's presidency cost taxpayers $13.6 million, or some $3.4 million each, according to the GAO.
The most recent analysis comes from The Huffington Post, which reports that tab being paid by taxpayers to feed Trump's golf habit is $102 million and counting.
Those are all notable numbers, but this week's By the Numbers honors goes to HuffPo's $102 million.
Check out the story for additional breakouts of the costs of 45's golf excursions.
You also might find these items of interest:
- Golf, mistresses and taxes
- Tax fights continue nationwide over Trump golf clubs' values
- Trump's continued weekend travel, NYC home security costs raise more tax questions
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