In the aftermath of the apparent second attempted assassination on former President Donald Trump, the Chicago Police Department has honed its attention on Trump International Hotel and Tower, located in downtown Chicago.
A spokesperson for the Chicago Police Department said the agency doesn’t divulge the exact number of patrols but acknowledged that they are giving Trump’s flagship Illinois property “special attention with the appropriate resources.”
Security at Mar-a-Lago has also been increased, but the day after a man was apprehended at Trump’s Palm Beach golf course, it’s unclear whether additional security measures had been taken at the former president’s golf courses, hotels and residential towers across the country.
POLITICO reached out to nine properties in five states — and most of them did not return requests for comment or said the security level has not changed. The uncertain nature of any additional security protocols at the businesses Trump owns — and often frequents himself — is an important data point in the conversation about whether he should receive increased security, given the recent threats to his life.
The Secret Service — which has come under fire for its handling of the first attempted assassination on Trump at a July rally — partners with local law enforcement to carry out security plans to protect the nation’s most important political leaders.
In New York City, the New York Police Department was a visible presence Monday morning around Trump Tower with several marked police vehicles parked around the perimeter of the skyscraper and uniformed officers at the entrance. Pedestrians and tourists, however, were permitted to walk past and pose for photos at the entrance as usual.
Requests to NYPD spokespeople about increased or enhanced security at Trump Tower and other properties in New York City were not returned. Requests to Trump Organization attorney Alan Garten about the same were also not returned.
There has been no increased security by the Los Angeles County sheriff, which oversees law enforcement at Rancho Palos Verdes, the city where Trump National Golf Club is located. Trump held a press conference at the course on Friday. The watch commander at the sheriff’s Lomita station told POLITICO that neither the club nor Secret Service has requested additional measures. The club’s general manager did not return a call requesting comment.
A Bedminster police spokesperson said: “We just cannot speak to anything on security at or around the property.”
Requests for comment at Trump’s properties in Nevada, Virginia, Florida and Washington, D.C., were not returned.
Acting Director of the Secret Service Ronald Rowe Jr., speaking at a press conference Monday, defended the level of security provided for Trump as the president engaged in an “off the record” round of golf, meaning that the former president’s schedule was not made public.
“What we did yesterday was exercise our emergency plan based on the number of tactical assets and the highest level of protection that we are providing,” Rowe said.
Following the attempted assassination on Trump at a Pennsylvania rally in July, Rowe said he ordered a “paradigm shift” that worked on Sunday when Secret Service officials spotted a man with a gun along the Mar-a-Lago golf course.
“But the way we are positioned right now in this dynamic threat environment, it has given me guidance to say, you know what, we need to look at what our protective methodology is,” he said.
Dustin Racioppi, Melanie Mason, Gary Fineout and Paul Demko contributed to this report.
