The real entitlements don't go to the lower classes

I don't believe I've ever seen another picture of her smiling like that. (Indeed, smiling at all.)

US first lady Melania Trump ran up a six-figure hotel bill for a one-day trip to Toronto last year, according to federal spending records.

Government spending data show at least six separate Toronto hotel charges ranging from just under $12,000 to nearly $49,000 for a total of roughly $174,000. She did not spend the night.

The total was roughly eight times what it cost to house the first lady’s advance team, whose $18,000 in hotel expenses were broken out separately; in addition to the hotel charges, the first lady’s trip involved $21,000 in transportation costs.

[...]

Based on [pool] reports, this was her itinerary for the day:

12:09 pm (Sept. 23): Arrives in Toronto. The first lady travels to a downtown Sheraton, meets with Britain’s prince Harry for 20 minutes, and then departs for the Ritz-Carlton.

4 pm: Returns to Sheraton. The first lady meets with US athletes competing in the Invictus Games (an event for disabled veterans created in 2014 by prince Harry) for 20 minutes. She delivers a speech that was one minute, 15 seconds long.

6:35 pm: Arrives at Air Canada Centre. The first lady greets prime minister Justin Trudeau and his family and watches the opening ceremony of the games from a VIP suite.

12:12 am (Sept. 24): Returns to Andrews Air Force base in Maryland.

How Trump and her staff ran up nearly $200,000 in hotel bills for a 12-hour trip is unclear (the total was nearly double the $95,050 bill for a hotel in Cairo, Egypt, where she stopped for a day last month during a trip to Africa).

[...]

The top rate at the Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel is currently $574 CAD ($435) per night for a premium suite, plus $100.56 CAD in taxes for a total of $674.56 CAD.

At the Ritz-Carlton, Toronto, standard rooms start at $679 CAD. The most expensive suite, the 2,415 square-foot Ritz-Carlton Suite, goes for $8,000 CAD per night, plus $1,401.60 CAD in taxes

  QZ

We're still a long way from $174,000. Surely someone noticed?

All six charges for the first lady’s Toronto hotel bills were paid to “miscellaneous foreign awardees” rather than a specific hotel.

I see.

Asked about the details of the expenses, the first lady’s office referred specific questions to the US State Department, which told us we would need to file Freedom of Information Act requests for more information.

...but hey, do what you want...you will anyway.