Politics

Here's How Much It Costs to Protect Trump in NYC

November 22nd 2016

President-elect Donald Trump is costing the city of New York a significant amount of money to keep him safe, CNN Money reports.

donald-trumpAP/Richard Shiro - apimages.com

Trump said that Melania and Barron won't initially live at The White House full-time, citing 10-year-old son Barron's schooling as one of the reasons (according to the CNN report). On Sunday, Trump said he'd live in The White House.

According to several city officials, who spoke to CNN Money, it costs the city more than $1 million per day to keep Trump and his family safe.

Trump Towerm01229/Flickr - flic.kr

The price is high because Trump — along with his entire family — need Secret Service protection. At a Friday press conference, Mayor Bill de Blasio explained the Trump security situation:

"The number one imperative here is safety and security. We owe that to the president elect, his family and his team. This is a very substantial undertaking. It will take substantial resources. We will begin the conversation with the federal government shortly on reimbursement for the NYPD for some of the costs that we are incurring."

Why? De Blasio explained:

"We have never had a situation where a POTUS (president of the United States) would be here on such a regular basis. 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."

Additionally, it's not only the Secret Service that is stepping in. The city will have to cover the costs of police working overtime.

Though splitting time between The White House and another office local to the President's home state isn't unusual, the degree to which Trump wants to, is.

As Mike Rothschild of ATTN: previously reported, the president is not legally required to live in The White House. In short, a president living full-time in The White House is supposed to make things easier for everyone. It's not only for the location, but for the security that has to protect the president, for which The White House is already well-equipped. Trump Tower is not.

Trump Tower NYCBrad/Flickr - flic.kr

Early on in Trump's campaign, Trump would regularly commute between events via private jet so he could sleep back in his home, Reuters reports, quoting Trump's former advisor Roger Stone who said the president-elect "likes being in his own bed, even if it means coming into Teterboro or LaGuardia [airports] after midnight."

[h/t CNN]

Share your opinion

Do you think President Trump should live at the White House?

No 14%Yes 86%