The U.S. Secret Service spent more than $1.4 million on security contracts for the perimeter of President
Donald Trump 's Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida over a period of six months, according to federal procurement data analyzed by
Newsweek .
Why It Matters
Providing security for U.S. presidents is always costly and Trump
survived two assassination attempts during his campaign, while a man with a firearm was arrested outside one of his campaign rallies.
What To Know
Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate poses a challenge with its 62,000-square-foot perimeter, which makes it the 22nd largest house in the U.S.—larger than the White House. The president splits his time between there and the White House and his property portfolio in New York City. According to federal procurement data, the Secret Service spent more than $1.4 million on security contracts for the perimeter of Mar-a-Lago between August 2024 and February 2025. This period spanned Trump's presidential campaign up to his first two months in office. One contract was worth $478,000 in February 2025. "The U.S. Secret Service's protective responsibilities are critical to ensuring the safety and security of our nation's leadership and safeguarding continuity of government," a Secret Service spokesperson told
Newsweek . All spending was in accordance with federal spending and procurement regulations, but details could not be discussed for security reasons, the spokesperson said. The White House did not respond to a request for comment. The security contracts for Trump's residence were described as "Mar a Lago perimeter assets" and the contract performance period is until April 23, 2025. This data does not paint a full picture of the total cost of Trump's security details, including personnel and security costs in other locations. The procurement contracts were awarded to ARCUS Group, an event management and perimeter security company based in Illinois. The firm's website says it has worked on providing event management for former President
Joe Biden 's residence,
Republican and Democratic National Conventions, and music events. On November 2, 2024, three days before Election Day, the Secret Service also spent $1.7 million for ARCUS Group to provide "perimeter assets" at an undisclosed location in West Palm Beach, Florida. Trump has a golf course in West Palm beach. In December 2024, ARCUS Group received a $17.5-million contract to provide "perimeter assets in support of the 2025 presidential inauguration" in Washington D.C. ARCUS did not respond to a request for comment. Between August 2024 and February 2025, the Secret Service also spent $143,490 to rent golf carts in an area in West Palm Beach that shares the same ZIP code as the Trump International Golf Club. Textron, a multi-industry company that makes vehicles and operates in the aircraft, defense, industrial and finance spaces, was awarded the three contracts in August 2024, November 2024 and February 2025.
Newsweek has contacted Textron for comment. Since Trump took office in January, government contracts have come under increased scrutiny. The White House and new agency the Department of Government Efficiency have lauded leaner bureaucracy and slashed federal budgets in multiple government departments to save money. According to government records obtained by the watchdog Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), by 2022, the Secret Service spent nearly $2 million at Trump properties including $300,000 at Mar-a-Lago during his first term, from 2017 to 2021. House
Democrats accused Trump of fleecing taxpayers after
The Washington Post reported that his company had charged Secret Service agents for rooms used while protecting him. Former President Joe Biden's security spending also came under scrutiny. Biden's security detail spent $1.96 million on 16 trips to his home in Delaware in 2021, according to Secret Service expense records cited by the
New York Post . In 2022,
ABC News reported that the Secret Service was paying more than $30,000 a month to rent a Malibu mansion in order to protect Biden's son, Hunter.
What People Are Saying
A Security Service spokesperson told Newsweek : "Given the previous threats faced by the president, the Secret Service continues to adapt, modify and expand our protective operations as necessary in order to ensure the highest levels of security for all of our protectees."
What Happens Next
Democrats will likely continue to focus on White House spending as DOGE initiatives seek to cut the federal budget even further.
