First lady Jill Biden racked up a huge bill as she traveled back and forth from France to Wilmington, Delaware, for her stepson’s trial, according to the Daily Mail.
Over the last week, Biden flew from Washington, D.C., to Wilmington, Delaware, where Hunter Biden’s trial was taking place, before flying to Paris, France. Biden then flew back from Paris to Wilmington before turning around again and going back to Paris. The trip, a total of about 3,600 miles, is estimated to cost $345,400 in flight costs, the National Taxpayers Union Foundation told the Daily Mail. (RELATED: Hunter Biden Possessed Crack Rock The Size Of A Ping Pong Ball, Hallie Biden Testifies In Trial)
“In accordance with relevant regulations utilized across administrations, the government has reimbursed the value of a first-class fare for these flights to Wilmington and back to Paris,” Jill Biden’s office told the Daily Mail.
The Democratic National Committee (DNC) is expected to be providing the reimbursement for the first lady’s flights, a White House official told the outlet, though the total being reimbursed was not provided. The DNC is expected to cover what the cost would be for the first lady to fly commercially, leaving the rest to the taxpayers, the Daily Mail reported. The outlet was not told who was covering the cost of aides who made the trips with the first lady.
“The White House should be more transparent about these costs so taxpayers aren’t taken for a ride,” Demian Brady, the Vice President of Research for the National Taxpayers Union Foundation, told the Daily Mail.
Hunter Biden, son of U.S. President Joe Biden, and his wife Melissa Cohen Biden, leave the J. Caleb Boggs Federal Building on June 07, 2024, in Wilmington, Delaware. The trial for Hunter Biden’s felony gun charges continues today with additional witnesses. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
The White House Military Office will determine the final ticket charge and issue the billing for the trip, the Daily Mail reported. For trips that require planes, first ladies have usually used a Boeing C-32 for their travel, the outlet reported. The aircraft is priced at $13,816 per hour, according to the Air Force, the National Taxpayers Union Foundation told the Daily Mail.
The first lady’s stepson was indicted in September 2023 on three felony charges for allegedly possessing a gun while being addicted to drugs as well as lying on a firearms purchase form. The trial began on June 3 and featured testimonies from Hunter Biden’s ex-girlfriend and brother’s widow, Hallie Biden, as well as Hunter Biden’s daughter, Naomi Biden. The defense rested its case in the trial on Monday.
“While I appreciate that the First Lady wants to support her son during this difficult trial, travel to the trial should be a personal, not a taxpayer expense,” David Williams, president of the Taxpayers Protection Alliance, told the Daily Mail.