Trump Expected To Arrive In NYC Monday; Mayor Says Avoid Trump Tower Area
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- President Donald Trump's arrival in New York City -- originally scheduled for Sunday evening -- is now expected on Monday, Mayor Bill de Blasio said Sunday afternoon.
De Blasio said Sunday that the latest plan calls for Trump to arrive on Monday and stay through Wednesday evening. But he emphasized that the schedule may change.
De Blasio warned that even though Fifth Avenue is a nightmare for traffic on a good day, President Trump's return home will mean extremely slow traffic on the thoroughfare in the 50s and 60s.
"The best thing is if you can avoid that part of town," de Blasio said. "Please stay away from that part of Midtown."
De Blasio said the president is expected to spend most of his time in the city in Trump Tower. He likely will not be moving around much on street level, but mayor said if the president chooses to do so, the NYPD is ready.
"We are very confident we can handle any situation including if the president decides to go out to a restaurant or anything like that," de Blasio said. "NYPD and secret service are ready."
Fifty-eighth Street from Sixth Avenue to Madison Avenue and 55th Street from Fifth Avenue to Madison Avenue will be closed to vehicular traffic starting midnight Sunday, August 13 and will remain closed for the duration of Trump's visit, according to the NYPD.
Fifty-sixth Street from Sixth Avenue to Fifth Avenue will have "managed vehicular access" during the same time frame.
Trump first tweeted his plans Monday, saying he'd go home to his three-floor, 11,000-square-foot penthouse for three days for some meetings. He arrived at his private golf club in New Jersey a week ago Friday for a 17-day "working vacation.'' The White House hasn't divulged specifics on his New York stay.
After Trump was elected president Nov. 8, security around Trump Tower ramped up dramatically, even including a fleet of heavy sanitation department trucks filled with sand to wall off the front of the building from any potential vehicle bomb attack. A maze of barricades and checkpoints were manned by scores of uniformed police officers under the supervision of a mobile command center.
Since taking office, the president has surprisingly returned to the city only once, on May 4, for a visit with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull at the Intrepid Sea Air and Space Museum. He was in town for only a few hours. His absence allowed the New York Police Department to loosen security around Trump Tower, though it can dial it back up at any time, said police department spokesman Stephen Davis.
Several groups are expected to hold protests throughout the president's time in Manhattan.
(© Copyright 2017 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)