EXCLUSIVE: Trump's Midtown Manhattan Shut Down Estimated to Cost Up to $10Million for Security During NBA Finals Outing
Trump attended Game 3 of the NBA finals.
June 11 2026, Published 6:15 p.m. ET
Security measures around Madison Square Garden were amplified for the arrival of President Donald Trump amid the NBA Finals game on June 8 – costing taxpayers millions, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Knicks fans were heartbroken to discover the streets lining the iconic arena were shutdown to the general public to prevent massive watch parties from sprawling.
Fans Grow Furious Over Donald Trump's Knicks Outing
An expert identified six areas of spending.
The New York Police Department cited safety concerns, putting up barricades and checking tickets. The beefed up security was estimated to cost about $10million, according to Matt Twiford of Pegacorn Group, a fractional CFO and consulting firm.
He told Radar, "For a routine major presidential visit to Midtown, $5million direct and somewhere around $7-10million all-in is where I'd land."
He broke down the costs into six categories: NYPD operational deployment, secret Service operational personnel, pre-event preparation, federal T&E, military aviation support and other supporting agencies, and opportunity cost from closures and disruption.
Twiford estimated between 500 to 1,000 NYPD officers are deployed for a standard Midtown visit from the president. When calculating their pay, he estimated up to $1.9million in police personnel alone. As for the Secret Service, he predicted up to 200 agents were present with their total pay landing somewhere around $1.6million.
Security Protocols Cost Taxpayers Millions
One aspect of the budget is often overlooked by experts.
Twiford pointed out a key part of the cost analysis that many may not consider.
He said, "Pre-event prep is the line item that always gets missed. Secret Service doesn't show up on event day with no warning. Advance teams deploy 5-10 days ahead for any high-profile venue. Site security advance, intelligence coordination with JTTF and NYPD Intel, technical security sweeps, motorcade route surveys, hospital coordination, counter-surveillance positioning. Typically 30–60 agents working for a week before the event."
While most estimates fail to accommodate for the prep work, Twiford added about $800,000 to his estimation.
Further, Twiford pointed out the military backing that an outing like this comes with. After all, Trump needed to arrive via Air Force One.
"Round trip to NYC plus ground time, you're at $500–700K depending on how you count helicopter and motorcade support. Could be higher," Twiford said.
As for supporting agencies like FDNY, the city's MTA coordination, traffic management and more, Twiford tacked on up to $200,000. As for the equipment, Twiford added up to another $300,000 in his prediction.
Businesses Face Opportunity Cost Issues
Businesses reportedly lost out on foot traffic.
Another sometimes overlooked component of these major security shut downs came down to the opportunity cost to local businesses.
Midtown Manhattan is already a beast, but the area around MSG is a particular economic hot spot. The music venue is flanked by a variety of bars and restaurants. Plus, the arena sits upon the iconic Penn Station, which facilities transit via the MTA subway, Long Island Rail Road and New Jersey Transit. These were impacted by the shut down.
Twiford estimated over 200,000 daily commuters cut through the area. He added, "Closures cancel watch parties, push commuters into delays, hurt local restaurants and retail."
Only some people were allowed behind the lines of the barricade, and it was mostly those with tickets to the game. Some nearby residents and individuals doing business in the region were supposed to be allowed to pass, but reports from locals indicated, even then, it wasn't easy.
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Knicks Sidestep Bad Energy for Game 4
The Knicks were victorious in Game 4.
During Game 3 of the finals, the San Antonio Spurs got their first one up over the New York Knicks. While Trump, who chomped down on some unhealthy food at the game, is a New York native, fans weren't happy to have his energy in the Garden, spurring boos across the arena.
Some even insinuated he was cursing the team's energy.
The president was not in attendance for Game 4, and the Knicks secured another win.
Unfortunately for hopeful fans who couldn't get inside, the security crackdown continued even in Trump's absence. That didn't stop fans from celebrating in the NYC streets, though.
