President Donald Trump arrived in New York on Sunday for the U.N. General Assembly and residents braced for days of gridlock and high security that will accompany his visit and that of other world leaders attending the meetings.
Trump's plane touched down in the early evening and his motorcade brought him to Trump Tower. Spectators lined up to watch the motorcade go by, with many snapping photos on their phones. One yelled an obscenity.
Trump was scheduled to have a dinner with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Manhattan on Sunday.
The security measures for Trump and about 200 other dignitaries were evident in midtown, where security checkpoints were already in place.
“Well be running 189 motorcades on our highest day, well be using 48 sand trucks, 230 pieces of concrete block and thousands of members of the department,” said NYPD Chief Thomas Galati.
Some roads were already closed but commuters should expect more throughout the week. See a complete list of road closures here.
Areas of midtown east near the U.N. will be on lockdown and other streets will have restricted access and lane closures.
The security even extends to the East River, where NYPD scuba teams checked for threats underwater.
With the United Nations General Assembly scheduled to start this week, #NYPD#SCUBA team conducted dives and deployed a remote operated vehicle to inspect critical and sensitive areas throughout New York City. pic.twitter.com/GjviGpdCcu
— NYPD Special Ops (@NYPDSpecialops) September 23, 2018
Trump's address to the General Assembly comes Tuesday, and on Wednesday he will for the first time chair the Security Council, with the stated topic of non-proliferation of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons. The subject initially was to have been Iran, but that could have allowed Iranian President Hassan Rouhani to attend, creating a potentially awkward situation for the U.S. leader.Meetings on the sidelines of the General Assembly often come in rapid succession, a wearying test for even the most experienced foreign policy team. Trump has a robust schedule during his stay in New York, including meetings with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, French President Emmanuel Macron, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and British Prime Minister Theresa May.
Trump's address to the General Assembly comes Tuesday, and on Wednesday he will for the first time chair the Security Council, with the stated topic of non-proliferation of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons.
Trump has a robust schedule during his stay in New York, including meetings with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, French President Emmanuel Macron, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and British Prime Minister Theresa May.
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NBC
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