Melania And Barron Trump’s Safety Comes With Sticker Shock Of $1 Million Per Day To Taxpayers
Melania and Barron Trump’s safety in New York will come with sticker shock to many taxpayers. The incoming first lady and first son plan to remain in New York City when Donald Trump moves to Washington, D.C. The estimated cost will be $1 million per day to taxpayers for Secret Service and police protection — and that cost has already begun with Trump as president-elect.
WGN reports that the $1-million-per-day expense will continue at least through the summer, but it may not even go down after that. Barron Trump doesn’t finish school until June, which is why he and his mother aren’t moving out right away. Security costs also rack up for Trump’s entire family. Add to that, the NYPD assists the Secret Service when Trump is in town, which will occur frequently while Melania and Barron are still there.
The NYPD’s main job is to watch movements by the public and detect any suspicious activity.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has emphasized multiple times in press conferences that providing security detail for Donald Trump and his whole family is a monumental task. It’s an undertaking never before seen with a president-elect. Trump’s business and living quarters are in the heart of Manhattan. Trump Tower is situated in a densely populated area, and the building has several entry ways for its occupants. Heightened security in Midtown has escalated since the election. Local businesses and residents are inconvenienced by security, presence and traffic is a nightmare.
Protecting Donald Trump costs New York City more than $1 million a day: https://t.co/JmomDJ4fFp pic.twitter.com/a0G98yZsdo
— WGN TV News (@WGNNews) November 21, 2016
Melania and Barron Trump are assigned their own team of Secret Service agents, and the president-elect’s grown children and grandchildren also have their own agents. The arrangements have been characterized as unprecedented in any presidential election. As a result, the outcome has impacted various levels of government and is giving the Secret Service new challenges.
Mayor de Blasio said in a press conference on Friday that he wants the federal government to fund at least a portion of the costs for the NYPD protecting Trump’s family.
“We will begin the conversation with the federal government shortly on reimbursement for the NYPD for some of the costs that we are incurring,” de Blasio said.
He added that the city will need help with costs for overtime required of officers protecting the Trumps. In the past, de Blasio has succeeded in his requests for reimbursements for the city when extra protection was needed for visits from United Nations heads of state.
Whenever Donald Trump is in New York, streets will close down as he moves through them. Barricades have been placed around Trump Tower, and the block is closed with exception to Fifth Avenue.
Doesn’t that mean extra SS resources to maintain their safety at Trump Tower? How much will that cost us taxpayers?https://t.co/niObQHtqYx
— International Woman (@IntlWOM) November 20, 2016
Melania and Barron Trump will reside full-time in New York at least until next June. Barron will finish out his school year at the prestigious Columbia Grammar and Preparatory School in Manhattan’s Upper West Side. On Sunday, it was revealed that Melania and Barron won’t move to Washington, D.C., after the inauguration. They plan to remain in New York for at least the first six months of 2017, and they might move to the White House after the first son finishes fourth grade. However, Nothing has been officially confirmed.
A source told the New York Post that the presidential campaign was difficult for Barron Trump, and his parents want to maintain a sense of stability and consistency for him as his father takes office.
Barron will be driven to school in an armored car, and a team of Secret Service agents will make sure the building is safe for him.
The sticker shock of paying for the Trumps’ protection is drawing criticism. Some also support the decision of allowing Barron Trump to finish out the school year before he’s forced to go through more massive changes.
[Featured Image by Mark Wilson/Getty Images]
