The Perils of Presidential Visits

Published 2 weeks ago2w ago • Bookmarks: 92 • Comments: 1

April 22, 2024

By Barrett Seaman—

President Biden is coming to Irvington. That’s exciting—at least to local Democrats, some of whom are forking over four- and even five-figure checks to be at a private fundraiser this Thursday, the 25^th. That’s also exciting for lots of Irvington residents who will, at least for a few hours, bask in the glow of a presidential visit to a village of less than 6,500.

Take it from someone who has accompanied a U.S. president on dozens of visits to communities in the U.S. and abroad: there will be a price to pay—at least for a few hours.

Support our Sponsors

I say this based on my experience as White House correspondent for TIME Magazine, covering the last five years of Ronald Reagan’s presidency. I accompanied him on all four of his summits with Mikhail Gorbachev. I was there when he brought listeners to tears with his tributes to fallen American soldiers on the beaches of Normandy. I was also there when he made “drop-by” campaign stops in places like Orange County, California, Wichita, Kansas, as well as big cities like LA, Chicago and New York.

Those big cities—and even smaller ones—can absorb the impact of a presidential visit, which includes advance sorties by teams of Secret Service agents who in turn will commandeer the services of local, county and state law enforcement personnel to seal off roads, and if necessary, whole neighborhoods.

Once, when Reagan visited New York City for an event, I remember riding in a motorcade from Newark Liberty Airport, where Air Force One landed, to midtown Manhattan. The trip took all of about 15 minutes, including a drive up the FDR Drive around ten in the morning without a single other vehicle on the road. That takes planning—and coercion.

So what’s going to happen when Biden comes to Irvington? We have some early indicators. On Monday, the Irvington Police Department issued an advisory: “Significant traffic impacts are expected from mid-afternoon through rush hour,” it stated. “In addition, there will also be several major thoroughfares subject to long-term closures in Westchester County, which will add to the traffic impacts on secondary roads.”

Another hint: Irvington’s schools announced students from K through 12 would be sent home at midday so as not to be spilling out of school just as the presidential entourage arrived.

Because celebrity actors and Irvington residents Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones are listed as hosts of the fundraising event, the widespread assumption in the village is that the event (a lunch, cocktails, tea?) would be at their home on Fargo Lane in the leafy enclave of Matthiessen Park. Yet as late as Tuesday, five invited donors reached by The Hudson Independent did not know for sure either where or at what time they were expected.

Keeping a tight hold on such details (no doubt influenced by the Secret Service) makes sense as a way to discourage gawkers from clogging the neighborhood. But that stretch of Broadway is a notorious chokepoint in ordinary times. Those who remember the July 2021 fashion show at Villa Lewaro (corner of Broadway and Fargo Lane) will look back on the traffic jam that ensued following that event as the equivalent of the Indy 500 compared to what is likely to happen while Biden is in town.

It’s possible that Biden will arrive on Marine One, the presidential helicopter, landing on the Douglas/Zeta-Jones front yard, but there would still need to be a multi-vehicle motorcade on the ground to cover unanticipated circumstances, as well as blockades on all roads and pathways, including the Aqueduct.

Anyone other than those invited to attend the event would be wise to steer clear of that area on Thursday. If you live in the village, stay home. If you don’t, stay away until the coast is clear.

Read or leave a comment on this story...

Support our Sponsors