President Donald Trump’s administration is coming to an end, and so too are the days of heavy security surrounding Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue in Midtown Manhattan.
The blocks around Trump’s flagship tower, on East 56th and 57th streets, have been heavily guarded since the president took office in January 2017. The 58-story mixed-use building houses the headquarters of the Trump Organization and Trump’s private residence, and has been a frequent target of anti-Trump protesters.
But once Trump leaves office on Wednesday, the NYPD plans to reopen nearby streets that have been closed, and patrols of the area will be adjusted, the Wall Street Journal reported.
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That could be a boon for Fifth Avenue retailers, whose business has been impacted by a double whammy of increased security measures that block access to their storefronts, and then the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Anything that normalizes the use of the street is going to be a good thing for the neighborhood and visitors alike,” said Jerome Barth, president of the Fifth Avenue Association, a business improvement district. “We won’t be sad to see the barricades and concrete blocks leave the neighborhood.”
The NYPD will work with federal authorities to come up with a new security program for the property. The location of Trump’s primary residence after he leaves office and any security threats facing Trump are things to be considered to construct the new measure, officials told the Journal. It’s been rumored that Trump will flee New York City for Palm Beach, Florida, where his Mar-a-Lago club is located. (Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner reportedly bought property nearby recently).
For now, Trump Tower remains a target for protests, but interest in the building may wane after Wednesday’s inauguration, said Rob Byrnes, president of the business improvement group East Midtown Partnership.
“Eventually Trump Tower will become just another building in New York bearing the name Trump,” Byrnes said. “There are multiple other buildings around the city that have that name and they have not been the site of protests.”
[WSJ] — Akiko Matsuda