What to Know
- The president had been spending time at his Bedminster, New Jersey, golf course, on a working vacation and arrived at Trump Tower Monday
- Donald Trump has been under fire for his response to weekend violence at a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia
- At least three people were arrested in separate rallies outside Trump Tower Monday evening; more are expected Tuesday
On President Donald Trump's first night home since his inauguration, the NYPD says three protesters were arrested and hours later even more demonstrations are planned near his Manhattan skyscraper.
As Trump arrived at his New York home Monday night, a throng of protesters lined Manhattan's Fifth Avenue, carrying signs with such messages as "impeach" and "stop the hate, stop the lies." The president is expected to be met with more opposition Tuesday -- his first full day in NYC as president.
The president's motorcade pulled up to Trump Tower and avoided the protesters, who chanted "Shame, shame, shame'' while they awaited his arrival.
[NATL] In Pictures: Protesters March to Trump Tower Ahead of President's 1st Visit
People chanted things like, "No Trump, no KKK, no fascist USA" and "Not my president."
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Supporters said, "God bless President Trump."
The three arrested are facing charges of disorderly conduct, reckless endangerment and obstructing government administration, police said. Another protest is planned at 5 p.m. Tuesday.
Security was heavy around the skyscraper: Streets were closed in the area, and massive sanitation trucks were lined up outside Trump Tower. Metal barricades were set up across the street. Police sources said the department had an existing detail protecting the president's home and office at Trump Tower, and resources were flexible in the case of a protest or other unplanned event.
Heavy security will remain in place until the president leaves some time on Wednesday.
This is Trump's first visit to his Manhattan home and office since his inauguration. He has said he'd "love'' to go home to Trump Tower more often but it's "very disruptive to do.''
Some New Yorkers expressed their annoyance by the security measures: "You can't even hear yourself think. There's helicopters and cabs and traffic and God knows what else, and everything's barricaded."
Trump initially was supposed to head to the city Sunday, but briefly postponed the trip as deadly chaos unfolded amid a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville. It's not clear if that's why he delayed the trip to New York City, but the president has been under fire for his response to the violence.
[NATL] Dramatic Photos: Violent Clashes at White Nationalist Rally in Virginia
Two blocks away, in front of the Plaza Hotel, an artist collective called BravinLee set up a 15-foot inflatable balloon caricaturing Trump as a rat. The artists says on their website that "the inflatable rat, an enduring sign of resistance and ridicule, has been repurposed to help lead protest against Trump's policies."
On Saturday, BravinLee posted a photo showing a Confederate flag on the sleeve of the inflatable figure and wrote: "#charlottesvillevirginia Our hearts are with you. As you can see Trump wears his on his sleeve." The balloon also shows a Russian flag pin.
John Post Lee told News 4 he came up with the concept three months ago and raised $10,000 in a Kickstarter campaign. An Ohio company made the balloon, and it arrived last week. Monday was the first appearance of the balloon out in New York. He says he wants to station the balloon at Grand Army Plaza for a few days, then move it around New York for a couple of months.
But the display only made Trump supporters wave their flags and banners higher. One said, "He is our president, and is doing a great job, in my opinion. People are induced by the media."
Another group of protesters nearby wore black and staged a mock funeral for the people and things they said the president was killing. They held signs reading things like, "We mourn our healthcare," "We mourn trans lives" and "We mourn our diplomacy."
The violence in Virginia Saturday stemmed from what is believed to have been the biggest gathering of white nationalists in a decade, a movement in protest of the planned removal of a Confederate monument. A young woman died when a driver intentionally plowed into a group of counter-protesters; two Virginia State Troopers patrolling the protests from the air died in a helicopter accident.
In a statement later Saturday, Trump addressed the violence in broad strokes, saying that he condemns "in the strongest possible terms this egregious display of hatred, bigotry and violence on many sides, on many sides."
A White House statement Sunday went further, naming "white Supremacists, KKK, neo-Nazi and all extremist groups" among the outlets he condemned, a sentiment echoed by Attorney General Jeff Sessions in a "Today" show interview Monday, but the president faced continued backlash for not personally and explicitly calling out those groups by name. He rectified that in an impromptu address from the White House early Monday afternoon, calling racism "evil" and specifically calling out the KKK, neo-Nazis and other supremacist groups.
Mayor Bill de Blasio and U.S. Sen. Cory Booker were among the elected officials who had said Trump's response to the violence was not strong enough.
