Donald Trump has only been in office for just over a month, and already we are getting an idea of how much his lifestyle choices are costing taxpayers. According to the latest report, from Reuters, the funds designated to protect Trump Tower have added up to $24 million from Election Day through Inauguration Day. Additionally, it cost the fire department about $1.7 million when Trump was in the city, New York City police commissioner James O'Neill said in a statement, as reported in Reuters.
"We are seeking full federal reimbursement for all costs incurred related to security for President Trump and his family at Trump Tower," wrote Freddi Goldstein, a spokeswoman for Mayor Bill de Blasio, in an email to Reuters. New York congresswoman Carolyn Maloney called on Congress, specifically, to cover the disbursement, according to Reuters.
The costs were originally predicted to be around $35 million, and De Blasio requested this amount from the federal government back in December, The New York Times reported at the time.
The police department anticipates that on days when Trump is in town, protection costs average $308,000, according to O'Neill's statement reported in the Times.
"Trump Tower itself now presents a target to those who wish to commit acts of terror against our country, further straining our limited counterterrorism resources," O'Neill said in the statement.
Security costs are significantly lower when only First Lady Melania Trump and son Barron are in town, amounting to to somewhere between $127,000 and $145,000, O'Neill added.
The New York Times noted that that cost would add up to about $50 million by the year's end if the president doesn't return to Manhattan. And if he makes weekend trips, that number will increase by more than $10 million.
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