Residents of the enclave of four- and five-story townhomes and elegant single-family properties about 2 miles north of the White House are accustomed to VIP neighbors. Former President Barack Obama and his family have lived there since he left office, and the Secret Service closed off their entire block to traffic. Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos bought a home there, and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson also moved in recently.
Yet no one has raised the ire of the community like the Trumps. At a recent neighborhood commission meeting, Fox News anchor Chris Wallace was among those who showed up to complain about parking problems.
Some in the neighborhood have also complained about the family’s rental arrangement. The company that owns the house didn’t obtain a rental license for two months, securing one just this week after it was warned by city regulators.
“Maybe some of the upset has to do with politics a little. I couldn’t say for sure, but I know that people don’t seem to be upset about Tillerson’s situation. It’s much less intrusive, ” said Ellen Goldstein, an elected neighborhood commissioner.
The Secret Service has sole responsibility under law for protecting the family, but neighbors have noticed what they describe as an unusually large and aggressive security presence. Ivanka Trump arrives and departs in a four-vehicle motorcade, Robinson said.
“There are more of them than I have ever seen, ” Robinson wrote in a letter to Democratic Mayor Muriel Bowser and other city officials. “Frequently several of them are milling outside of the house at all hours having conversations and staring meanly at anyone in view.”
The $5.5 million Washington, D.C. home of Ivanka Trump, the daughter of President Donald Trump, and her husband White House Senior Advisor Jared Kushner.
(Alex Brandon/AP)
The letter — which also complained about parking, trash and noise — spurred the city government into action. On Friday morning, District transportation crews were outside the house, removing “No Parking” signs.
The department said no permits had been sought for parking exemptions or sidewalk closures on the street since Trump moved in. Yet vehicles associated with the Trump-Kushner house have been seen parking in the restricted areas for hours at a time, and barriers have been erected on the sidewalk in front of the house, forcing pedestrians to cross the street, next-door neighbor Rhona Wolfe Friedman said.
Even without extra restrictions, street parking for non-residents is limited to two hours.
Rhona Wolfe Friedman, Ivanka Trump’s nextdoor neighbor.
(Alex Brandon/AP)
“The parking patrol on Tracy Place has always been ultra-vigilant, ” Robinson wrote to the mayor. “Suddenly, the parking enforcement has disappeared.”
A Secret Service spokeswoman, Nicole Mainor, said agency officials met with neighbors and city officials on Friday morning and addressed their concerns about parking and other disruptions. She declined to answer specific questions about the level of protection the family receives, citing agency policy.
It’s not clear whether Ivanka Trump is aware of any complaints, saying in a statement emailed Friday afternoon by an aide: “We love the neighborhood and our family has received an incredibly gracious welcome from our neighbors.”
