The NYPD estimates it costs up to $146,000 a day to protect Melania and Barron Trump in New York.
A petition to force First Lady Melania Trump to move to the White House or to pick up the costs for her security at Trump Tower has surpassed the 130,000 mark.
The first lady intends to stay in New York until the couple’s 11-year-old son Barron finishes the school year in June.
“The US taxpayer is paying an exorbitant amount of money to protect the First Lady in Trump Tower, located in New York City,” the petition states. “As to help relieve the national debt, this expense yields no positive results for the nation and should be cut from being funded.”
If the Change.org petition reaches its goal of 150,000 signatures, it will be delivered to US Senators Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts.
According to the New York Times, the New York Police Department (NYPD) has estimated it costs between $127,000 (£101,942) and $146,000 a day to provide protection for Melania and Barron Trump when the president is not in town.
That is further estimated to rise to $308,000 (£247,230) a day when the president is in New York—however, The Independent noted that Trump has not returned since his inauguration.
The NYPD revealed the cost to protect Trump and his family between the election and Inauguration Day reached $24m. Comments from petitioners revealed the frustrations many taxpayers have about having to pay for the Trump’s security outside of Washington DC.
“This is an exorbitant expense that the United States government can not afford. Donald Trump is trying to cut all kinds of social programmes for those who are less fortunate, & yet he is allowing the government to pay millions of dollars for security for 2 people, just because they don’t want to move to the White House,” wrote Becky Olson-Kellogg of Minnesota. “If that is their decision, then they should be paying privately for the security — not the American taxpayers!!”
“Every first lady has lived in the white house. We pay enough for Trump’s golf trips,” added Lyn Siegel Siegel of New Jersey.
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