Police stand outside the Fifth Avenue, public, entrance to Trump Tower. | Kathy Willens/AP Photo NYPD commissioner: Trump security bill is $25.7M

In a letter to New York City's members of Congress, New York Police Department Commissioner James O’Neill said the “unique and unparalleled” challenge of having police and fire officials protect President Donald Trump’s family, home and office for the 75 days between Election Day and Inauguration Day comes to a cost of $25.7 million, down from an earlier estimate of $35 million.

Going forward, O’Neill said he expects the NYPD to spend between $127,000 and $146,000 per day protecting First Lady Melania Trump and her son, Barron, while they reside in Manhattan, on top of an additional $4.5 million in expenses annually for the Fire Department of New York going forward.


Those costs, O’Neill said in the letter dated Feb. 21, will “increase significantly” whenever the president is in New York City. Trump has not visited New York City since moving into the White House on Jan. 20.

In his letter, O'Neill said the new security figure came about after close examination of personnel time sheets and other data. An NYPD spokesman explained the earlier, higher price tag as an estimate and not an exact calculation. "The initial estimate to provide security for Trump Tower was calculated using anticipated costs. Subsequently, modifications were made to the security plan, and the amount was recalculated using actual costs," the spokesperson told POLITICO.

The two cost estimates could be seen as a way for the Democratically-controlled City Hall administration to negotiate with Republicans who control the White House and both houses of Congress. Initially, Mayor Bill de Blasio requested $35 million to cover security costs linked to protecting Trump Tower and the first family. Congress earmarked just $7 million. De Blasio has recently said he is optimistic Washington will help fund a greater portion of the security costs.

De Blasio is seeking re-election later this year and has made opposition to Trump a key part of agenda. O’Neill, unlike his predecessor Bill Bratton, has so far avoided opining on national politics. Republicans could potentially dismiss de Blasio’s higher price tag, while funding an amount closer to O’Neill’s.

O’Neill in the letter asked the city's congressional delegation to get federal funding to help the security costs borne by the city. “Approval of the above request will allow New York City to accomplish this essential dual mission of securing a presidential residence while protecting and serving the millions of Americans, who live in, work in, and visit our great city,” the commissioner wrote.

Until he moved to the White House on Jan. 20, Trump's main residence and office was inside his eponymous 58-story tower on Fifth Avenue and 56th Street in Midtown, one of the busiest intersections in the city. The building itself is an unusual location for presidential security, thanks to its combination of retail stores and public space on the ground floor and dozens of commercial and residential floors above it.

Trump, who is deeply unpopular with New York City’s overwhelmingly Democratic electorate, has regularly drawn spectators and protesters to his tower since his surprise victory. In his letter, O’Neill said, “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.”

While seeking more assistance from Washington for security costs, the NYPD commissioner signaled there were limits to how much cooperation the new administration could expect from the nation’s largest police force.

On Wednesday, O’Neill sent a memo to patrol officers about the federal immigration policies, noting that officers do not to ask crime victims or witnesses about their immigration status and do not conduct civil immigration enforcement actions, unless there is a clear risk to public safety. The memo also reiterated that the NYPD accepts the NYC-issued municipal identification cards as valid ID when giving a person a summons or desk appearance ticket.

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story misstated Trump's placement in New York's Republican presidential primary. He won the primary, despite losing in Manhattan. This story has also been updated with additional comment from the NYPD.