Trump's bizarre Super Bowl party cost taxpayers $3.4 million

The event for just was Mar-a-Lago members and included a giant backdrop of him depicted as a football player

US taxpayers will foot a $3.4 million bill for sending President Donald Trump and his family to Florida, where he hosted a ticketed Super Bowl Party for guests at his private golf club on Sunday.

Tickets were sold for $75 each and were limited to members of the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach. Getting into the private golf club initially costs $450,000, with annual dues and fees every year after.

A breakdown of Mr Trump’s trip expenses was first reported by the Huffington Post, drawing from data from the Government Accountability Office.

Much of the trip’s cost was tied up in security at Mar-a-Lago, which is especially costly due to its waterfront location.

White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham gave a defensive response when questioned about the president’s priorities.

“The premise of your story is ridiculous and false, and just more left-wing media bias on display. The president never stops working, and that includes when he is at the Winter White House,” she told The Huffington Post.

Mr Trump tweeted a photo of himself playing golf on Sunday morning at the club. Earlier that evening, Mr Trump and the First Lady arrived at the golf club, where the Florida Atlantic University marching band and cheerleaders performed for him.

The watch party doubled as a re-election gala for Mr Trump - named "Red White & Blue: Celebrating Trump Kick-Off 2020 Victory which featured an enormous illustration of him as a football player. The “Trumpettes,” a group of Mr Trump’s women supporters, hosted the event.

Mr Trump claimed that more than 1,000 “women, all women, only women” responded to the Trumpettes’ first “little” advertisement for the event, going on to brag - incorrectly - that his approval rating was the best it ever had been.

Photos from the event showed Mr Trump standing in front of the massive, grinning illustration of himself as a football player, with a football labelled "2020" in his hands.

Lee Greenwood sang at the event and Fox News/conservative media personalities including Sean Hannity and Diamond and Silk were in attendance.

"We found that just because you're black doesn't mean you have to vote Democrat," Lynnette Hardaway, one half of Diamond and Silk said during the event.

Photos from the event show that Mr Trump’s son, Donald Trump, Jr and First Lady Melania Trump were also present at the event.

The First Lady suggested during a speech that she may have a more pronounced role in Mr Trump's 2020 reelection campaign.

"I am looking forward to campaigning and fighting for Americans and our great nation,” Ms Trump said.

During the Super Bowl, Mr Trump and Democratic presidential candidate Mike Bloomberg aired duelling campaign ads. Mr Trump punctuated his attacks on Mr Bloomberg later by calling him "Mini Mike" on Twitter.

It's been an overall strange last few days at the resort. Friday, a 30-year-old woman, opera singer Hannah Roemhild, was arrested after she rammed through security checkpoints at Mar-a-Lago, prompting police to shoot at her car. Despite the locale and the proximity to the president's arrival, her arrest was reported as unrelated to Mr Trump and his association with the resort.

Mr Trump claimed in 2016 that he would separate himself from his businesses, but appears to have gone back on that claim, instead choosing to forego taking a presidential salary.

The weekend trip was Mr Trump’s 244th golf outing. Since he took office, Mr Trump has cost taxpayers $130.4 million on golf outings.