Thousands sign petition for First Lady to move to White House or pay for security

[GennGreymane]

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/wo...-a7653681.html

Nearly 100,000 people have signed a petition calling for Melania Trump to move into the White House or to foot the security bill for staying in Trump Tower herself.

A senior aide revealed last month that the First Lady and her 10-year-old son Barron will remain in New York until the summer, to allow him to finish his school year before transferring to Washington DC.

The Change.org petition has over 92,000 signatures since it launched a week ago. It will be delivered to the US Senate and Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren once it reaches its goal of 150,000 supporters.

The petition states: “The US taxpayer is paying an exorbitant amount of money to protect the First Lady in Trump Tower, located in New York City. As to help relieve the national debt, this expense yields no positive results for the nation and should be cut from being funded.”

Before he was inaugurated, the cost of Donald Trump and his family’s security protection in New York was estimated to be around £1 million (£800,000) a day. The NYPD later revised this amount, revealing last month that it had cost $24 million (£19 million) to pay for the security for Mr Trump and his family and guard Trump Tower over the two-and-a-half month period between the election and Inauguration Day, the New York Times reported.

The NYPD stated in a letter to members of the New York delegation to Congress that it costs between $127,000 and $146,000 (£101,000 and £116,000) a day “to protect the First Lady and her son while they reside in Trump Tower,” the newspaper reports. This cost is expected to rise to $308,000 (£245,000) a day when the President is in New York, though he has not travelled to the city since his inauguration.

Melania Trump reads Dr Seuss to sick children
People who signed the petition have also left comments condemning the money spent on keeping Trump Tower secure for the First Lady and her son.

​Jodi Quesnell from Wyoming, wrote: “If she chooses to live apart from her husband, the American taxpayer should not pick up the tab! They can afford to pay for the extravagance of living apart. The tax payers have provided a perfectly acceptable home which has met the needs of every other previous president.”

Another supporter from Rhode Island, Sheila Forsyth, wrote: “Living in the White House is what you do when you are married to the president. The tax money saved by eliminating these extra protection expenses can be used to feed junior citizens. Why is our tax money being spent on people who already have more than their fair share?”

Lyn Siegel Siegel from New Jersey simply said: “Every First Lady has lived in the White House. We pay enough for Trump’s golf trips.”

Dont mess with New Yorkers' commutes.

[Machismo]

Good, any reasonable fiscal conservative should support something like this. The First Family is wasting millions of taxpayer dollars for no good reason. Why do Republicans hate being fiscally responsible so much?

[Deleted]

Out of curiosity, what have previous presidents done when taking office if their children are still in school in other parts of the country? Is it normal for them to pull them from school and send them to one in DC?

[Machismo]

Out of curiosity, what have previous presidents done when taking office if their children are still in school in other parts of the country? Is it normal for them to pull them from school and send them to one in DC?

Yes.

/10char

[Azadina]

Good, any reasonable fiscal conservative should support something like this. The First Family is wasting millions of taxpayer dollars for no good reason. Why do Republicans hate being fiscally responsible so much?

But they do have a reason. To shovel the tax money in their own pockets, like with Trumps little every weekend golf vacations.

[Machismo]

But they do have a reason. To shovel the tax money in their own pockets, like with Trumps little every weekend golf vacations.

Well, he's a corrupt asshat, and that is what corrupt asshats do. he did it when he was a private business owner, and he's doing the exact same thing as President.

[Ghostpanther]

I think it would be more appropriate for her to live in the White House, which she has said she will do once their son is out of school. But since there is no law against it, not sure what can be done. A petition in itself may not accomplish anything. But a act of congress in passing a law would. So that is how Congress should handle it. But the President has veto power and it will take 2/3 of the votes to override it. Not likely.

[Deleted]

Yes.

/10char

Then yes, i agree its absurd that they insist on remaining in NYC

[Somewhatconcerned]

Give that money back to the forgotten men and women of America.

[Bombercloner]

I don't find it unreasonable that they don't want to transfer schools mid year. That is hard on any child. Trump should let security stay for free in his towers though.

[Dextroden]

I don't find it unreasonable that they don't want to transfer schools mid year. That is hard on any child. Trump should let security stay for free in his towers though.

I can agree with this. I can respect not wanting to move your child mid school year. But they need to be packed up and ready to move the instant school lets out for him.

[Mormolyce]

And how about giving his daughter an actual job? I mean if you're going to indulge in rampant nepotism at least don't create an ethical black hole to do it.

Yes. Every other president's children, in recent memory, lived in the WH with their father. Melania hates the Donald so much she'd rather stay in New York though.

She's paid to fuck that thing. Can you blame her?

[TZucchini]

I don't find it unreasonable that they don't want to transfer schools mid year. That is hard on any child.

Sorry, but that comes with the territory. Any hardships that are thrust upon your family can simply be avoided by not running for President.

[D3thray]

So you're telling me New Yorkers object to having 24 million extra dollars pumped into the local economy? Let's not pretend this is true waste. It goes to pay salaries. Its not as if it's being thrown in the garbage never to be seen again.

[Underverse]

I don't find it unreasonable that they don't want to transfer schools mid year. That is hard on any child. Trump should let security stay for free in his towers though.

Yeah. Anything less than this is pure, unbridled corruption.

[NYC17]

But they do have a reason. To shovel the tax money in their own pockets, like with Trumps little every weekend golf vacations.

Speaking of which....

http://www.politico.com/states/flori...g-trump-110713

[Mormolyce]

So you're telling me New Yorkers object to having 24 million extra dollars pumped into the local economy? Let's not pretend this is true waste. It goes to pay salaries. Its not as if it's being thrown in the garbage never to be seen again.

I'm sure all those Trump voters in the heartland are thrilled to send their tax dollars to subsidise New York.

[Underverse]

So you're telling me New Yorkers object to having 24 million extra dollars pumped into the local economy? Let's not pretend this is true waste. It goes to pay salaries. Its not as if it's being thrown in the garbage never to be seen again.

And alternatively, that money would be spent elsewhere in the economy. It's not like it would be thrown in the garbage.

The point is that some spending is wasteful and some is not.

[Cybran]

Good, any reasonable fiscal conservative should support something like this. The First Family is wasting millions of taxpayer dollars for no good reason. Why do Republicans hate being fiscally responsible so much?

Maybe if the left stopped encouraging violence against Trump and his family that money could have been saved. Videos of him getting shot get promoted as free speech, people are encouraged to punch his supporters, etc.

[Nadiru]

I'm sure all those Trump voters in the heartland are thrilled to send their tax dollars to subsidise New York.

The choices are to subsidise NYC or DC, both cities held in about the same disdain by heartland voters.