President Donald Trump loves to be seen as a symbol of American wealth and power, but sometimes his attempts to display luxury and strength backfire.
Trump, 80, has spent much of his second term remodeling the White House at American taxpayers’ expense. He also made other costly changes to his presidentIal lifestyle.
For instance, the federal government awarded General Motors more than $20 million in contracts related to the Secret Service. As part of the procurement, the automaker provided a new fleet of customized Cadillac Escalades for the presidential motorcade.
Conservative commentator Michael Savage recently shared a video of Trump showing off the new Cadillac, which is estimated to cost well over $100,000.
Both the “Savage Nation” host and the president were fixated on the car’s windows. At one point, Trump looked at the glass and said, “That can take any gun in the world.”
Trump’s chat about the vehicle referred to as “The Beast” set off online discourse. His critics brought up a more embarrassing mode of transportation in the MAGA leader’s recent past.
In early July, the commander-in-chief had to be smuggled off Air Force One before departing the NATO Summit in Ankara, Turkey.
Reports of Iran possibly attacking the airplane prompted the secret operation. Cameras caught Trump boarding Air Force One, but he covertly switched to another aircraft.
While Trump was secured, the original Air Force One departed the location as a decoy. The situation turned into an internet-breaking meme after the covert plan was eventually revealed.
Trump and a few of his closest aides hid in an airport container to be transferred from Air Force One to a smaller Air Force C-32A military jet.
The idea of the heavyset POTUS crammed into a catering truck ignited weeks of jokes at his expense. New images of Trump next to the armored Cadillac reignited the trolling.
“Has he shown off his new catering cart yet?? Lol!” a jokester wrote in reaction to the clip of Trump bragging to Savage about the decked-out Escalade.
One tongue-in-cheek comment read, “Amazing, it doesn’t even look like a food cart!!” The wisecracks continued when someone posted, “I wonder if the catering cart is bomb proof.”
“Wasn’t the catering truck available?” asked another sarcastic person. A more serious-minded commenter declared, “It’s not Trump’s Cadillac… it belongs to the taxpayers.”
Simiarly, a Facebook user also complained about the costs by writing, “He ordered a whole fleet of them. It’s always more fun to spend someone else’s money.”
The Secret Service has heavily promoted the agency’s close association with General Motors during the second Trump administration.
In March 2025, the Secret Service tweeted that Director Sean Curran met with GM executives to discuss “new innovations and improvements” to the armored fleet of protective vehicles.”
Protecting the president is the Secret Service’s main job. However, the president made it clear his mind was more on appearance than protection when it came to the Escalades.
“You know, we ordered, I think, 250 Escalades, right? We ordered 250 Escalades,” Trump told a crowd of General Motors employees in Milford, Michigan, on July 27.
The billionaire politician went on to explain why he, his staff, and his security needed a vehicle upgrade. But his cosmetic justification angered many Americans currently struggling financially.
“That’s so we look sharp in those cavalcades,” Trump admitted. “We look sharp in those Escalades. Our guys are very spoiled. They’re very spoiled. They like the Escalades. So do I.”
The lavish spending of Trump 2.0 has not just touched the Secret Service. Since the Mar-a-Lago resort owner returned to office in January 2025, multiple renovation efforts have sprung up across D.C.
Trump spearheaded costly vanity projects at the White House, including filling the Oval Office with golden embellishments and tearing down the East Wing to build a ballroom.
In addition, the ongoing Iran War has cost at least $37.5 billion. The conflict is also very unpopular. Only 25% of the American public believes the war is worth it.
The money is not the only issue. Trump being forced to leave the Middle East region after hiding in a food container could be viewed as a sign of weakness.
Plus, Trump’s obsession with his vehicle being super protective, yet luxurious, fuels complaints that the elected civil servant is more preoccupied with his own comfort than his constituents’ well-being.
