Ivanka Trump wanted a birthday party in Marrakech. The American taxpayer picked up the hotel bill.
The US government spent $93,000 on five-star accommodation for Secret Service agents who accompanied the president’s daughter on her trip to Morocco, according to federal records. The expenses covered rooms at two of the city’s most prestigious luxury hotels: the Sofitel Marrakech and La Mamounia.
Ivanka celebrated her 45th birthday in late October in Marrakech, and you paid for it.
The Trip
According to the records, a contract worth $59,543 was awarded on October 21 to accommodate Secret Service personnel at the Sofitel Marrakech. A second contract, worth $33,457, was issued the following day for accommodation at La Mamounia, one of the city’s most prestigious luxury hotels.
Ivanka’s name does not appear directly in the documents. However, she was the only known person under Secret Service protection to have visited Morocco during that period.
She was spotted in Marrakech on October 29, visiting the city’s historic quarters, including the El Ksour district, and the famous Jemaa el-Fnaa square. She was photographed wearing sunglasses and a hat while walking through the city.
The $93,000 covers accommodation alone. It does not include agents’ salaries, flights, meals, or ground transportation.
The Defense
The Daily Mail reported that a source close to the family said government protection is provided to every child and grandchild of the US president. That is true. Under federal law, the Secret Service protects the president’s immediate family. But the law does not require them to stay at five-star hotels.
The Pattern
Ivanka’s visit adds to a long list of Trump family travel that has drawn scrutiny. From luxury resorts to private jets to extended stays at Trump-owned properties, the costs have added up over the years. The Secret Service has spent millions protecting the president’s family, and much of that money has gone to properties that benefit the Trump family directly.
The Bottom Line
The US government spent $93,000 on hotel accommodation for Secret Service agents during Ivanka Trump’s Morocco birthday trip. The money covered rooms at two five-star hotels in Marrakech. It does not include salaries, flights, or meals. The Secret Service is required to protect the president’s family, but the cost of luxury hotels is borne by taxpayers.
My Opinion
Ivanka Trump went to Marrakech to celebrate her 45th birthday. The American taxpayer picked up a $93,000 hotel bill for her security detail.
The $93,000 does not include the agents’ salaries, nor their flights, meals, or the cost of the vehicles they drove or the equipment they carried. That is $93,000 just for rooms. For a birthday party in Morocco. Paid for by people who will never see the inside of La Mamounia.
The White House will say this is standard practice and that the Secret Service makes its own arrangements. They will say the president’s family is entitled to protection. All of that may be true. But it does not answer the question: why did the American taxpayer have to pay for luxury accommodation so that Ivanka Trump could celebrate her birthday in style?
The answer is simple. Because no one stopped them. Because no one in the White House, the Secret Service, or Congress, thought it was worth asking whether there was a cheaper way. Because the Trump family has spent years treating the federal government as an extension of their personal lifestyle, and no one has held them accountable.
Ivanka Trump is a private citizen. She is entitled to go wherever she wants. But she is not entitled to a taxpayer-funded luxury vacation. If she wants to celebrate her birthday in Marrakech, she can pay for it herself; after all, she can afford it. Her father is also a billionaire, and her husband comes from a wealthy family.
