When Will Melania Trump Leave? Nearly 500,000 People Demand First Lady Moves Into White House
Melania Trump has been one of the most reclusive first ladies in modern American history, living out President Donald Trump’s first months in office from the comfort and privacy of her $100 million penthouse in New York City's Trump Towers. But if almost half a million people have their way, she and her 10-year-old son Barron trump will be living in the White House before the first family reportedly planned to make the move.
Nearly 500,000 people signed a petition demanding Melania Trump move into the White House immediately in order to avoid the ongoing cost and burden on New York City's taxpayers and police force.
The Change.org petition, which would be sent to Sen. Bernie Sanders, D-Vt., and Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., after reaching its goal of half a million signatures, came with a short and simple letter attached: "Make Melania Trump stay in the White House or pay for the expenses herself."
The daily cost to protect the Trump family in New York City ranges anywhere from $127,000 to $146,000, New York Police Commissioner James O’Neil said in a statement.
Activists have also pointed at the whopping figures surrounding the president’s weekend trips to Mar-A-Lago, his private estate in Palm Beach, Florida. Taxpayers foot a $3 million bill each time Trump travels to the exclusive club for golfing and hosting world leaders, including Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
Melania Trump may not reside in the White House just yet, but she’s been planning her arrival ever since Trump took over the Oval Office. The new first lady replaced former President Barack Obama's crimson red curtains with golden drapes, swapped out the couches for gold-flaked seating and hired interior designer Tham Kannalikham to redecorate the presidential pad in February.
It was unclear whether the White House will address the petition demanding Melania Trump’s immediate move from New York City. For now, however, Big Apple residents will continue to live with their costly neighbor up above the clouds in the top three floors of the Trump Towers.
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