The Secret Service is set to spend over $21,000 in taxpayer funds on hotel accommodation alone for an upcoming trip to Ireland by Eric Trump, the adult son of President Donald Trump. The journey, scheduled for 20-21 January 2026, comes as Eric Trump seeks to advance plans for a "spectacular" new ballroom at the family's golf resort in County Clare.
Taxpayer-Funded Protection for Private Business
Federal procurement records reveal the agency has earmarked $21,449.01 specifically for "USSS Hotel Lodging - Eric Trump Visit - Doonbeg." The contract was awarded by the U.S. Embassy in Dublin, with funds originating from the State Department's Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs. While the exact hotel is not named in the documents, past trips provide a precedent. In 2017, Eric Trump's Secret Service detail cost nearly $28,000 for a stay at the Trump-owned Doonbeg resort during a business trip.
Secret Service spokeswoman Alexandra Worley stated that all expenditures are "made in accordance with federal spending and procurement regulations." She cited federal law (18 U.S. Code 3056) which entitles immediate families of sitting presidents to protection. The lodging bill represents only a fraction of the total cost, which also includes salaries, air travel, meals, and local transportation for the security detail.
The Doonbeg Ballroom Ambition
The purpose of Eric Trump's visit is directly linked to a major expansion at Trump International Golf Links & Hotel Doonbeg. He is playing a "pivotal role" in a proposal to build a 13,000-square-foot ballroom at the coastal resort. Submitted plans to Clare County Council describe a facility with a main function room, reception space, bars, a bridal suite, and "champagne and tea stations," accommodating up to 320 guests. Its construction would require the demolition of the existing, smaller ballroom.
"It is spectacular," Eric Trump told the Sunday Independent in September 2025, claiming the design would make it "the nicest ballroom in the country." The planning application argues the contemporary building will be sympathetic to the resort's architecture and act as "a key economic driver for Doonbeg and West Clare." The Trump Organization's environmental statement contends the project will not harm the protected Vertigo Angustior snail population in the area, which is reportedly in "terminal decline" due to coastal erosion.
A History of Controversial Expenditure
This incident follows a pattern of Trump family travel incurring significant costs at Trump properties. When President Trump visited Doonbeg in 2019, the hotel billed the Secret Service over $10,000 for a two-day stay for agents. That same year, the resort charged more than $15,000 to house then-Vice President Mike Pence's security detail for two nights.
These charges contradict a past claim by Eric Trump that the family business allowed the Secret Service to stay at their hotels for free or at cost. An investigation by the watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington found Trump properties typically charged the agency "above typical rates, including for Eric Trump’s own travel."
The Clare County Council is accepting public comments on the Doonbeg ballroom proposal until 2 February 2026, with a decision expected three weeks later. The trip and its costs emerge against a backdrop of the Trump administration implementing significant budget cuts to scientific research and public health spending.
