Trump should stay put

Opinion: April 3, 2017 at 12:00a.m.

By Dan K. THOMASSON

Tribune News Service

WASHINGTON

Way back when the United States was just a baby nation, its citizens built a house for their president. Not a palace for a king like the one they had shed, but a democratically suitable residence on a regular street. It was a little larger than many but with a common address – 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue – and was something they could be proud of.

It took very little time for this classic mansion to take on its own identity, separate of its occupant’s, as a place the world knew was the seat of government and a symbol of liberty.

For more than 200 years, with a brief exception or two – when the British burned it, and when Harry and Mrs. Truman moved out for repairs – this stately residency was occupied by a family excited to be there no matter the opulence of their prior living arrangement. That is, until the voters elected a real estate mogul who is also a casino and golf course operator who decided to spend only part of his time there. In fact, his model wife and his youngest son, ostensibly to finish school, would be residing officially in a far glitzier setting with a gold motif in New York City. She would be at 1600 Pennsylvania on special occasions, of course. And Mr. Trump, meanwhile, would almost immediately begin weekending at another one of the family’s luxury sites in Florida, doing what he accused his predecessor of doing too much of, golfing. Meanwhile, most of the rest of the large, government-protected, peripatetic Trump family would also be living elsewhere.

Cost of security

But this is old news. What isn’t is the mounting cost of security necessary for the protection of the chief executive in so many venues in an age of terrorism. It’s an amount that’s making it difficult for the Secret Service to provide and carry out other missions without a substantial increase in its budget of some $60 million, nearly $30 million of which would go to protection. While there have been reports the Office of Management and Budget has rejected the boost, the White House (or Mar-a-Largo, or Trump Tower, or wherever) denies that. The total cost of the presidential security is usually classified, so one can only guess the full figure given the family’s size, movement and so forth.

The extra money may have to come from other sources in the Service’s budget, which would normally go toward other missions like counterfeiting, cybercrimes and exploited minors, according to The Washington Post. Most federal departments and agencies are facing dramatic reductions if Trump has his way.

The figures are illusive in all cases but reach into state and local pocketbooks heavily. The estimated costs to the New York Police Department when the president is at Trump Tower is $300,000. That declines to between $127,000 and $145,000 a day when only Mrs. Trump and the son are in residence, according to the Post. At Mar-a-Largo, Palm Beach County authorities say they already have spent $1.5 million for overtime for their force because of Trump visits. This is beyond federal outlays, of course.

All this becomes surreal when one considers that Trump during his campaign never forgot to criticize Barak Obama for alleged excessive travel and failure to hold down expenses. He even disavowed vacations.

One with a sense of humor most ask, “Do you serve baloney sandwiches on those flights to Florida?” But our experience of Trump’s three months in office tells us the answer to that.

Dan Thomasson is an op-ed columnist for Tribune News Service.