Sean Spicer. | AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster De Blasio spokesman pokes Trump, drawing plea from congressman's office to 'tone down' rhetoric

A spokesman for Mayor Bill de Blasio and Donald Trump’s social media director tangled on Twitter Tuesday, after the New York Police Department helped evacuate Trump Tower following reports of a suspicious package that turned out to be a false alarm.

“Back to work here at Trump Tower after a false alarm. Thanks NYPD,” Trump’s incoming press secretary Sean Spicer tweeted Tuesday evening.


“No problem. We'll send you the bill,” replied Eric Phillips, the mayor’s chief spokesman on Tuesday,

“Eric Phillips- Spokesperson for @NYCMayor @BilldeBlasio - you are an embarrassment to the @NYCMayorsOffice & the amazing #NYPD,” Trump’s social media director Dan Scavino, Jr. responded.

The back-and-forth comes as some New York business leaders and elected officials say the de Blasio administration should back off its attacks against the president-elect, who has a reputation for acting out in response to criticism.

“It’s this kind of childish rhetoric that we’ve asked the mayor’s office to tone down because it just makes it more difficult to advocate for the city’s interests in Washington,” said Patrick Ryan, a spokesman for New York City’s lone Republican congressman, Staten Island Rep. Dan Donovan.

“Obviously, they’re ignoring that advice to get headlines " instead of help ing to craft "substantive policy,” Ryan said.

Congress has agreed to reimburse New York City $7 million so far for the costs of providing NYPD security to Trump Tower and the surrounding area for the period between November’s presidential election and the inauguration, far less than the city’s request ed $35 million for its costs. The president-elect has used Trump Tower as base for transition meetings since the election.

Donovan has said the de Blasio administration submitted its formal request to Congress at the 11th hour, making it difficult for an appropriations committee to secure the full amount the city has sought.

De Blasio has tried to turn his emphatic defiance of many of the incoming president's policy proposals into a strength, using his resistance to help fundraise for his upcoming re election campaign.

Austin Finan, a spokesman for de Blasio’s office, defended the tweets.

“Congress owes our City a lot of money for providing the president-elect with the security he requires. We’ve outlined these costs in detail. It’s our job to aggressively advocate for the NYPD and for City taxpayers, and we won’t back down from that responsibility,” Finan said in an emailed statement.

Long Island GOP Congressman Pete King declined to comment on the Twitter spat, but said in a statement: “I strongly support the federal government paying whatever security expenses are incurred. I would encourage the de Blasio Administration to provide detailed documentation of those expenses.”

Tuesday’s minor tiff came as the city prepared to partially reopen 56th Street between 5th and 6th Avenues to crosstown traffic, in response to business complaints that the street closures around Trump Tower had severely impacted their revenue.

De Blasio initially brushed off concerns about the potential impact security would have on nearby businesses, telling reporters after his first meeting with the president-elect last month that “I will not tell you that Gucci and Tiffany are my central concerns in life."

But the mayor has since adopted measures to respond to businesses’ complaints, including sending representatives from the NYPD and the city’s Department of Small Business Services to meet with area merchants, modifying the complex maze of barricades on 5th Avenue and the surrounding streets and offering up police officers to help address questions about how businesses could receive deliveries despite the increased security.