Nearly 100,000 indignant citizens of New York petitioned to have Melania Trump leave the city after an announcement first came out that the First Lady-elect intended to stay there until her son finishes out the school year.

Traditionally, the incoming president’s family moves into the White House in Washington DC without delay, but Donald Trump’s foreign-born spouse elected to defy convention and stay behind – to the estimated tune of $1,000,000 a day in security costs to New York taxpayers.

The petition, addressed both to the New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and NYC Mayor Bill De Blasio, asks that the city refuse to pay for the protection of Donald Trump’s wife after he moves out of the luxury penthouse in the 58-storey Trump Tower skyscraper where the presidential family-elect currently resides, located in midtown Manhattan.

In their petition, the citizens wrote: “The New York taxpayers refuse to pay over $1 million a day so she (Melania Trump] can stay.  If this decision has been made, between the two of them they should be the ones to pay for it. Not New York taxpayer dollars that could be used on roads, schools, transit, sanitation, new jobs and other expenses that the city has.  This is what tax dollars should be used for, improvements for the city and all the people of the city, not just one.”

Ms Trump has specified that she wants to remain in the city until late spring or early summer when her and Donald Trump’s 10-year-old son Barron’s private school in Manhattan breaks for the summer.

Should his wife and son adhere to the current plan and stay on in New York, it is most likely that the president-elect will be flying back frequently to visit them, something which would increase costs to the city’s police force.

According to a transition team source, Donald Trump had raised the issue with advisers about how many days he would be required to spend in the White House.  While campaigning, Trump was said to fly back to Trump Tower late at night so he could wake up in his own bed.

Source: Independent