Trump Tower now touted as ‘the most secure building in Manhattan’ by brokers

Donald Trump’s stated desire to stay in his glitzy penthouse atop Trump Tower during (and possibly after) his transition to the highest elected office in the United States is coming at a high price for New York City—and not just in the psychological sense.

Initial estimates put the cost for his security detail—which includes around-the-clock NYPD coverage—around $35 million, or nearly $500,000 per day (and that’s just leading up to Inauguration Day), a figure that Mayor de Blasio is hoping the federal government will reimburse.

But some real estate brokers are hoping to use that increased security to their advantage, because brokers are nothing if not shrewd when it comes to capitalizing on bad situations. To wit: Politico reports that a listing for apartment 31H in Trump Tower, currently on the market with Douglas Elliman for $2.1 million, is touted as being “the best value in the most secure building in Manhattan.” What’s more, initial email blasts from the brokers called out the apartment’s “new amenity—the United States Secret Service.”

Yes, that’s right—for the ridiculous price of $2.1 million, you get the hottest new amenity in New York: having the Secret Service take up a four-year residency in your building! It’s more exclusive than a rentable jet or a private pool in your apartment, which could lure some buyers, but there’s that whole living-in-Trump-Tower thing to contend with.

Still, that so-called “perk” may be cold comfort for those who simply don’t want to live among the president-elect and his family anymore—a recent analysis of listings within the Fifth Avenue skyscraper found that nearly 15 percent of the building’s apartments are for rent or sale, and many have gotten price chops in recent weeks. And really, given the realities of living in that building nowdays, who can blame them?

• Secret Service advertised as hot 'new amenity' at Trump Tower [Politico]
• All Donald Trump coverage [Curbed]