The task of protecting the president-elect is costing New York City $1 million per day, and it’s not likely that the costs will drop immediately upon Donald Trump’s entry into the White House.
Trump continues to reside in his tower in New York City, and his wife, Melania, as well as their 10-year-old son Barron will continue to live there until the end of Barron’s school year even after Trump moves to the White House. Trump has also indicated that he will be visiting New York City often while his family remains behind, meaning the city will still bear the coast of protecting the president even after he has moved to Washington, D.C.
John Miller, NYPD’s deputy commissioner of intelligence and counterterrorism, said on Monday that part of the high cost is the need for Secret Service protection for Trump’s children and grandchildren, who reside in New York City as well.
–Secret Service wants to shut down street near Trump Tower–
“The number one imperative here is safety and security. We owe that to the president elect, his family and his team,” said New York Mayor Bill de Blasio on Friday, though he noted that the city would need help with the costs of providing that safety.
“This is a very substantial undertaking. It will take substantial resources,” he said. “We will begin the conversation with the federal government shortly on reimbursement for the NYPD for some of the costs that we are incurring.”
“We have never had a situation where a POTUS (president of the United States) would be here on such a regular basis,” de Blasio noted. “The details of his future plans are unknown, but we certainly know over these next 65 days [until the inauguration] he will be here regularly. The NYPD is up to the challenge and the city of New York is up to the challenge, I have no doubt about that.”