Presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump is calling out President Barack Obama and presumptive Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton for flying together on Air Force One to a campaign event.
Trump posted on Twitter: “Why is President Obama allowed to use Air Force One on the campaign trail with Crooked Hillary? She is flying with him tomorrow. Who pays?”
And he questioned the trip again on Tuesday morning, “Taxpayers are paying a fortune for the use of Air Force One on the campaign trail by President Obama and Crooked Hillary. A total disgrace!”
Fox News reported Tuesday that the taxpayer is not on the hook. A senior campaign official told Fox News the campaign will cover its portion of the travel cost.
CNN reports:
The cost of flying Air Force One for political travel is divided between the federal government (using taxpayer dollars) and the candidate’s political organization. Because Obama is traveling to Charlotte solely for the purpose of stumping for Clinton, her campaign (or the Democratic National Committee) would have to foot a portion of the bill whether the candidate was aboard or not.
Although President Bill Clinton and President George W. Bush weren’t on the campaign trail much in their final year, Obama plans to heavily campaign with Clinton.
“Obama could offset some of the price-tag by combining political travel with official events, which are paid for by the government. The formula breaking down campaign and official costs, however, has been kept secret by White Houses going back to the 1970s,” CNN adds.
Mark Knoller of CBS has details:
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