Protecting Trump Costs NYC $1 Million A Day

The costs of a Trump presidency have seemed quite high from the moment it became clear he would win the Electoral College. But most attention has been paid to the social costs, increased discrimination, violence, and rollback of some of the progressive policies that President Obama made a focus of his eight years in the White House — like the Affordable Care Act, protection of transgender Americans, and programs that protected undocumented immigrants, like DACA. But there's another big cost, and it has a price tag in dollars. It seems the Trump family's love of New York City will cost a lot.

There are reports from the New York Post that Melania and Barron will be staying in Trump Tower at least until the end of the school year because Melania doesn't want to disrupt Barron's schooling. Evidently the campaign has been difficult for him, and that's totally understandable. Unfortunately, Trump will regularly return, and their presence may cost New York City as much as $1 million per day. That's what CNN reported based on the estimates of three city officials. Not only are there the costs associated with Trump Tower, but Trump's entire immediate family, children and their grandchildren, will receive protection from the Secret Service and NYPD.

Of course the city will collaborate no matter the cost, but there's a hope that the federal government will chip in. New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said on a radio station interview Tuesday that he was already in talks with Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson. “I made clear to him how committed we are to the president-elect’s security, but I also made clear to him that there’s extraordinary costs involved," de Blasio told WCBS 880's Rich Lamb.

If the Trumps remain in Midtown — even part time — there's a good chance the security measures that have been taken will also remain. In the weeks after the election, the Associated Press reported that cement barricades have been placed around the building and police officers ask people where they are going before they can enter the block. Guard towers have been sent up and delivery trucks are often sent away.

Already, just months into Trump's time as president-elect (let alone years coming home for the weekend) restaurants and shops in the area are starting to lose patience with the lost business. NBC News reported that residents of the area have to spend as much as an hour trying to get out of the house and some area restaurants report that business is down by as much as 20 percent.

So Trump and his family really ought to head to Washington. They may still love the Big Apple, but if they stick around, there's a good chance New Yorkers won't return the sentiment.