American taxpayers are sick of footing the bill for Melania Trump to live 200 miles away from her husband in a gilded penthouse palace atop Trump Tower, so a change.org petition has been created demanding the first lady either move to Washington, D.C. immediately or start paying for her own security details.
The petition reads:
The U.S. 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. Make Melania Trump stay in the White House or pay for the expenses herself!
It was started by Doug Caruana and has garnered over 50,000 signatures in just a few days, with nearly 15,000 of them coming over the past 24 hours.
Related: Thanks to millennials, Trump’s approval ratings are worse than any president in over 70 years
How about we take this to the next level?
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Original reports said security for the first lady and 10-year-old Barron would cost taxpayers as much as $1 million a day; however, the true cost is about $136,000 a day, according to the NYPD. That’s a far cry from $1 million, but it’s still an insane amount of money. Roughly $4 million a month, to be exact. Which is $1 million more than the federal government currently spends on the Meals-on-Wheels program, which Trump says he wants to cut.
Of course, Melania’s $136,000 daily security tab is a drop in the bucket when it comes to the amount of taxpayer money the Trumps are wasting on personal security.
Trump himself cost taxpayers over $13 million last month on his weekend trips to Mar-a-Lago alone. And just last week, the Secret Service requested an additional $60 million to account for “the unusually complicated lifestyle of the Trump family.” To complicate matters even more, the request for additional funding was actually rejected by the White House Office of Management and Budget.
Caruana hopes to collect 75,000 signatures with his change.org petition before delivering it to Sen. Bernie Sanders and Sen. Elizabeth Warren. We don’t think he’ll have any problem doing this.
Related: Price tag to protect “unusually complicated” Trumps just got even more insane
grero
Shocking that tolerant liberals in NYC don’t like women or immigrants.
DCguy
No, shocking that supposedly budget conscious Republicans would waste more money than the budget of some agencies to keep a first lady living separately in a tower merely because she and her husband dislike each other so much they don’t want to spend any time together.
Oh by the way Mo Bro, this screename won’t work because you forgot to change your style of writing so you just gave this one away.
Giancarlo85
Blah blah blah. More useless banter from a potty mouth. Liberals in NYC do like immigrants. NYC is a very diverse city.
What people don’t like is flipping the hotel and security bill for the wife of the NonPresident.
Millions of dollars wasted and all you can do is stupidly attack liberals with some inane ridiculous attack. By the way, you right wingers love immigrants so much you want to kick them out. Immigrants contribute a lot to this country. Melania does not and has only cost the taxpayer millions. Same thing goes with Emperor Orange.
On a side note, I am loving the explosive allegations about Devin Nunes and now that he could possibly face censureship and investigation for his potentially illegal activity. Where was the other clown on this site? Nunes is toast!!!! Interfering with an FBI investigation us a felony and now he is trying to cover for a dangerously corrupt non president.
whatevz
one would think any 70 year old racist ‘billionaire’ would spend some coins to keep his favorite dumb foreign escort safe
Mo Bro
Q: Since when did liberals suddenly care about the government price tag for ANYthing?
A: They don’t—they’re just mad about Hillary’s spectacular fall, and therefore attack anything affiliated with He Who Brought Her Down . . . including his family, which is just petty (even for liberals).
Giancarlo85
Stop posting under multiple accounts, you pretentious ignoramus. Oh and Trump is the one about to have a spectacular fall. Now add obstruction of justice by using Devin Nunes as a pawn to hinder an FBI investigation.
And all you can talk about is bigly popular vote winner Hillary Clinton.
You are an ignorant man!
Mo Bro
@Giancarlo85:
I’m an “ignorant man”?
How DARE you presume my gender!
Giancarlo85
Oh I am sorry. Ignorant loser seems more fitting.
paul dorian lord fredine
okay. let’s back off melania for a moment and ask about his little golf outings, 13 in his first two months. this is from the same guy who was constantly criticizing obama for his golf. in two months he’s spent more on golf outings than obama did in his entire first year. but sean says the president shouldn’t be criticized because he ‘deserves his personal time’. personal time? every weekend? this isn’t, probably much to his chagrin, not a five-day-week job. and if he’s really holding meetings at his ‘winter white house’/personal resort-golf club, then let’s see a list of them and with whom he’s meeting (just like is mandated UNDER LAW when they occur at the real white house). they’ve been requested but so far nothing. one more thing we have to wonder about….what (or who) is he hiding when he’s in florida. one last thing about spending: it wasn’t that long ago when he said in one of his speeches that ‘we’re’ all going to have to cut back and make a few sacrifices. apparently he wasn’t including himself in that ‘we’.
DCguy
This is how you spot the troll. See, REAL conservatives are upset by the waste of money, but Anti-American Russian supporting Trump Trolls just have a knee jerk reaction to attack any comment ubout the Trumps.
You crime isn’t being a racist, a bigot, or a Trump Troll. Your crimee is that you are bad at what you do and way too obvious.
Deviant
@DCguy I am Russian. Please stop use Russian people in negative context. It is ridiculous.
MediaGuy
Oh, but it was just FINE to have Michelle’s mother live in the White House for 8 years, nobody said a word about that. What did that cost?
Giancarlo85
Hey I am hearing if these shenanigans continue the secret service would have spent its entire annual budget by summer and would no longer have money.
Yeah budget conscious my ass.
From the illegal activity involving Devin Nunes, to the FBI investigation and the misallocation of government resources for personal use…
People just don’t grasp the shitstorm that is coming. Trump supporters and drumbeaters on here certainly don’t see it as they are blind.
People are going to wind up in prison and far worse than the criminal Reagan administration. This one won’t even last one term.
Giancarlo85
I am hearing Manafort will be the first to flip to avoid prosecution. The end of this administration could be a lot sooner than you think.
mhoffman953
So the original claims of $1 million dollars per day were false (which I pointed out in the past didn’t add up and was most likely false), yet all major news media outlets still ran the story without verifying it? Sounds like another example of fake news
Giancarlo85
$136,000 a day is acceptable to you though? By the way, what do you say about the secret service running out of money before the end of the year?
They are using in one day what the average American makes in three years.
mhoffman953
@Giancarlo85 Are you saying that the first lady should not have security? Also, those Secret Service agents would still be getting paid whether they are protecting the first lady in New York City or Washington, DC. Just because she goes to Washington, DC doesn’t mean they fire those agents and save money. Those agents still keep their jobs, still keep their salary, and just relocate.
Plus, I’m not even sure the $136,000 / day figure is accurate either. First it was $1 million / day, now its $136,000 / day. You don’t see the vastly different reported figures as indicative that maybe the people reporting those figures have no clue what they’re talking about? The President only makes $400,000 / year which makes a handful of agents earning $136,000 / day unbelievable. After all, according to Queerty’s link above, the $136,000 amount is reported by TMZ.
Put on your thinking cap for a second. Let’s assume Melania is protected by 20 Secret Service agents every day. Those 20 Secret Service agents now allegedly make $136,000 in total every day which equates to $6,800 / day per agent. Since those agents are at her side 24/7, that means EACH agent makes $2,482,000 / year. I’m unaware of any federal agents getting paid $2.4 million every year for their work. Even if we said she has 50 agents, that then equates to nearly $1 million / year per agent. The numbers don’t add up. Try thinking critically when reading stories.
Giancarlo85
No. Actually the $136,000 is the NYPD estimate only. That does not include other costs overlays and including the over budgeted secret service that is begging for more money.
And salaries of Secret Service agents aren’t the only costs. Why don’t you put your thinking cap on for once? It appears you lost it years ago. Your lack of logic is almost demented.
Plus you are distracted and can’t stay focused on one topic.
Giancarlo85
This idiot thinks salaries are the only cost. No… Logistics, fuel, planning, administrative overhead, vehicle maintenance, overtime, etc are other costs.
You are just so ignorant.
Giancarlo85
BTW, many Secret Service agents make well into six figures. Why? High risk work. The Secret service also does investigations into fraud and money laundering (ironic considering they are now protecting a money launderer). Protecting the President isn’t their only responsibility.
mhoffman953
@Giancarlo85 Yes, the Secret Service investigates matters and have other responsibilities but we’re specifically talking about the costs related to protecting Melania Trump in this article and not the costs of active investigations.
Also when you say “BTW, many Secret Service agents make well into six figures”, they don’t make WELL INTO six figures, they start out at a base yearly salary of $122k and can make up to $142k / year according to Glassdoor: https://www.glassdoor.com/Salary/US-Secret-Service-Special-Agent-Salaries-E131896_D_KO18,31.htm If you’re going to make a statement, please research it before saying they make WELL INTO the six figure range (which designates you meant one agent make several hundred thousand per year – they do not).
Giancarlo85
You are an idiot who never researches anything properly nor do you know how yo read. Logistics, administrative costs and other overlays costs are what drives up the costs of protecting Melania in a urban setting like New York.
Why don’t you read for once if your walnut sized brain allows you to do so? Rather than being a pathetic lapdog for one of the most corrupt administrations in history.
mhoffman953
@Giancarlo85 You just claimed an average Secret Service agent makes high into the six figures for their salary and you won’t even admit you were wrong. Now you’re trying to act like you know about the costs related to the Secret Service when you don’t even have a clue how much one agent makes a year. Then you have the nerve to say I’m an idiot who never researches anything LOL.
Giancarlo85
You are a stupid idiot who can’t read. And why is it they are asking for another $60 million dollars? This is why you can’t be reasoned with. stupid idiot trump lapdog! You are entirely useless in having any kind of discussion with. I have already found out this the hard way. you won’t listen to anything.
Giancarlo85
And I never said the average secret service agent makes into the high six figures. You illiterate.
mhoffman953
@Giancarlo85 You’re deflecting now because you feel foolish for claiming that a Secret Service agent makes high in the six figures. The Office of Management and Budget says those $60 million claims from the Washington Post are false. But you’ll lap up anything the Washington Post says. I could name many stories where they blatantly made up information. The Office of Management and Budget is a bi-partisan arm of government which has no basis to lie.
Giancarlo85
Sounds like damage control to me from yet another leak.
But hey whatever floats your boat.
At least I’m not a pathetic right wing loser like you who is willing to sell out my own community.
Oh and I guess I should take the word of a class clown like you who lies and deflects everything, hypocrite.
Giancarlo85
And point out where I said they make into the high six figures, you lying sack of sh*t.
mhoffman953
@Giancarlo85 you said it right here: “many Secret Service agents make well into six figures”
Define “well into”. I’ve asked you about 7 times and I’m still waiting.
Six figures consists of any number from $100,000 – $999,999. Tell me what number begins the point of “well into”
Giancarlo85
You assumed before you asked. You qualify as an idiot. Have a nice day selling outthee LGBT community and this country to Russia, a-hole. BTW, your man Nunes could now recuse himself for mishandling Intel and compromising an investigation. He may be censured too. Adios loser!
mhoffman953
@Giancarlo85 Yes because any normal person means very far into when they say “well into”. Just Google “well into six figures” and look at what numbers show up.
If that’s not what you meant then clear it up by defining “well into”. Sometimes my words have been misconstrued on here and I further clarified what I meant when asked about it.
The fact that you’re now deflecting to Russia and wiretapping (this article is about the Secret Service, bring Russia up in the Russia related posts), seems like you can’t define “well into” because you know it’ll make you look foolish.
Giancarlo85
You made a stupid assumption and you are attempting to sound smart. You are nothing but a Trump lapdog. Useless to humanity.
Deviant
The United States dropped more than 20,000 guided bombs and missiles on Iraq and Syria in 2015 with little or no effect. Cost of bombs and missiles ONLY is about 5 billion (5 000 000 000 $)
“As of August 2016, the US has already appropriated, spent, or taken on obligations to spend more than $3.6 trillion in current dollars on the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Syria and on Homeland Security (2001 through fiscal year 2016). To this total should be added the approximately $65 billion in dedicated war spending the Department of Defense and State Department have requested for the next fiscal year, 2017, along with an additional nearly $32 billion requested for the Department of Homeland Security in 2017, and estimated spending on veterans in future years. When those are included, the total US budgetary cost of the wars reaches $4.79 trillion”
I think you have bigger fish to fry than Melania.
Jack Meoff
How can anyone still support and take this administration seriously given all the scandal and bad calls that surround it. Even people who voted for him must be reeling by now. As for the the pro Trump trolls on this site (most of whom are just MoBro using different names) what are you going to do with yourselves once he is out of office which looks like being sooner rather than later.
Prax07
I signed it, my mother signed it…get that bitch where she belongs, with the her doofus of a spouse.
Ashke113
She needs to get off her pampered ass grab that demon seed and move to the WH already. This is bullshit that we pay for her to sit in her golden palace just because she threw a hissy fit and didn’t want to move. Orange Anus has money let him pay the security bill for his mail order bride, and while they’re at it STOP PAYING SECURITY FOR THE DAMN ANUS ADULT BROOD. If they want to take vacations and have a life let it be on their dime not ours, and instead push all that wasted money to Meals On Wheels and school lunches for kids and to hell with the Orange Anus family. Security should only be provided for the president his spouse and small children that live with them not any adult children living on their own
paul dorian lord fredine
the $136,000 is only what the nypd reports THEY spend. on top of that there’s the cost of secret service protection the rest of us are being forced to spend. if he’s so damn rich he should be able to pay for her to stay in nyc…and without seeing his full tax returns that’s one. big. if.
Giancarlo85
You are correct. So it probably is closer to a million.
The Secret Service has spent most of its annual budget already.
Giancarlo85
Funny how the log cabin queens are fine with the corruption, nepotism and misuse of government resources with this administration!
Giancarlo85
This is so bad the Secret Service asked for $60 million more as their budget has been depleted by Trump’s oligarchic ways
http://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/secret-service-wont-get-dollar60-million-more-to-protect-the-trumps/ar-BByCBCh?li=BBnbfcN
Ken A.
WOW. People had no problems with this at first when she told of her plans to keep their son in school so there would be no drastic change. Its only supposed to be until June when school is out then they planned on moving to the Whitehouse. This is for the son not for her.
Giancarlo85
No it isn’t. And they are spending large amounts of money.
Keep on making up excuses!
Giancarlo85
The lows Trump supporters will go…
Trump will bankrupt this country and there will still be stupid excuse and weak defenses of this administration
Giancarlo85
*excuses.
Seriously enough of this garbage. This administration has been a colossal embarrassment to this country.
Learn how to admit you backed the wrong person and screwed up! Time for maturity!
Giancarlo85
You made the assumption, like the intellectually devoid and hypocrite you are. Have a great day, traitor.
Giancarlo85
Hoffman is an unintelligible idiot who thinks salaries are the only costs of protecting the President. Then he harps on about salaries like the gullible fool he is… He will eat anything up Trump says.
Hoffy – from my time here, I have done far more research and investigation than you ever have done. And more than just irrelevant google searches.
mhoffman953
@Giancarlo85 Ok LOL, see my above comment. For a guy who claims to do research and investigation, tell me again how much a Secret Service agent makes in one year? You said it was “well into the six figures” when in fact they make in the very low end of six figures.
Before you think you can educate others on the costs of running the Secret Service, you might want to research and investigate how much an actual agent makes per year before you claim you know the ins-and-outs of the costs related to their job.
Giancarlo85
I never said they made more than the President, you Moron! Nor did I say they make into the high six figures. It isn’t my fault you are stupid as the average Trump supporter.
Illiterate treacherous idiot!
mhoffman953
@Giancarlo85 You said, “BTW, many Secret Service agents make well into six figures”. What is your definition of “well into”?
“Well into” is an idiom meaning “far into something”.
$120,000 is NOT far into six figures, that’s just crossing the 6 figure mark.
Giancarlo85
You fool… You really can’t read. And you just proved it. Learn basic English. Also many secret service agents have been there for years so it is safe to say they make well pass the baseline salary, idiot.
mhoffman953
@Giancarlo85 I did read and I will ask for a third time, what is your definition of “well into”?
A low level GL-7 or GL-9 special agent for the Secret Service makes anywhere from $44,000 – $75,000 https://www.forbes.com/sites/quora/2013/01/28/what-is-it-like-to-be-an-agent-of-the-u-s-secret-service/#1745ff301779
High level agents at the upper level make roughly $120,000 in the base level and senior members can make up to $142,000 https://www.glassdoor.com/Salary/US-Secret-Service-Special-Agent-Salaries-E131896_D_KO18,31.htm
Show me where “many Secret Service agents make well into six figures” from any fact based article online BUT only after you define “well into”.
Giancarlo85
You made an assumption into what I meant, therefore I have no time for a clueless loser like you.
mhoffman953
@Giancarlo85 That’s correct, I did make an assumption which is why I’ve asked you 7 times now to clarify what you meant so we can discuss the topic. If I’m inaccurate in my assumption, then please clarify for me.
Define “well into”. I’ve asked you about 7 times, this is the 8th time, and I’m still waiting.
Six figures consists of any number from $100,000 – $999,999. Tell me what number begins the point of “well into”.
Once you answer it, then it’ll clear up what you meant by your words.
Giancarlo85
You are yawn inducing. And a major hypocrite on top of it.
Giancarlo85
Hoffy needs to go. Ban this pathetic Trump lapdog. He will eat up anything republicans say and he is a hapless loser.
iggy6666
Not voting for trump doesn’t make you immune to being an self-righteous a-hole. So you hate trump, i’m sure everyone knows, it’s literally all you whine about. Move on.
Mo Bro
@iggy6666:
Kudos for stating how so many of us feel.
MediaGuy
Gian Carlo85 suddenly decides who will stay and who will go. He has first hand experience with this, having been banned twice. And, ever notice the time he was deported back to the shithole he came from? There was peace and quiet here in Queerty land for a couple of months. Now, he’s back, serving sandwiches at McDonald’s and I swear he uses his phone while he puts the special sauce on the burgers. Giancarlo, call your mother and tell her you’ll be back in Colombia before she can blink. Because, I’m calling ICE. hahhahahaa.
natekerchel
As I said before – you cant discuss anything rationally with someone who is unwilling or unable to be rational. mhoffman is forever demanding ‘evidence’ but providing little impartial proof himself. He should be informed enough to understand that protection’ is not just about salaries for he secret service – there are many other aspects that require funding. Mrs.Trump needs to remember that the tax-payer is paying for her decision to stay in New York when she could easily be in Washington and covered by the same protection as her husband. For me this is not so much about the money – its about the arrogance and sense of entitlement and hypocrisy. This man wants to cut already limited funds that support the poorest people while his wife squanders millions on her security – or to be more honest, her unwillingness to be with trump. He has already avoided paying millions in taxes over the years – let him pay for her security.
Jack Meoff
It seems that mhoffman953’s strategy is to bombard all negative Trump threads with so much unsubstantiated rhetoric to muddy the waters and make people just give up out of frustration. A bit like Conway’s press conferences.
natekerchel
I think you are right about that Jack – but I, for one, am just as determined to challenge every lie or deflection those people come up with. Trump ad his supporters probably imagined that everything would have settled down by now – but not so. They need to understand that you can’t just steal an election and expect us all to fall into line again. In addition to that outrage, he is a repulsive creature and proven liar. I think that I have read mhoffman insist that he is gay – if true he should be ashamed to support the monster. It is not logical to support someone who wants to silence you and remove your civil and human rights – it is the equivalent of committing suicide.
DavidIntl
Now, wait a second. How much was spent on security for all of Obama’s extensive travels? I have many issues with the current administration, but this seems a very silly fight to be picking. And the argument that Barron be allowed to finish the current school year is, to me as a parent, a compelling one.
natekerchel
This is not about travels. They are living in NY at a huge and unnecessary cost to the tax payer. If I take their attitude to things why should gay men pay tax to support security for his children while he cuts funding for all kinds of poor and vulnerable people. And if people choose to be a parent that is indeed a life style choice. Why should I pay for other people’s children? Especially the children of billionaires. That’s what I would say if I took a republican attitude to things.
Terrycloth
I bet if trump had to pay for Trump tower security he would have her and baron in the Whitehouse asap and hire a tutor …while we are at it make the orange one pay out of his own pocket for his weekend golf trips too.why not ? He’s not taking a pycheck for being prez…betcha those trips would stop too..poor new yorkers have to put up with all the blocked streets and security is just mind numbing…I’ve been in the Trump tower over priced overblown gawdy decor…
Just awful
1EqualityUSA
When a president flies into a city, Secret Service goes in ahead of the visit and speaks with the manager of the local level 1 trauma center or E.R. to arrange disaster planning and all. All the pieces of the puzzle move when a president travels. These trips to Florida are expensive and self-serving. As for the family of Trump, whatever is best for the boy is ok by me.
Neonegro
Not to worry, he is reducing waste in aids research, the UN, and foreign aid, the EPA etc.
We who voted for him are fine with protecting the first family.
These petition signers are idiots, as if they can actually force the Trumps to change location…..lol…lol
Stilinski26
Why would a Billionaire’s wife needs tax payers money in the first place?
Neonegro
She does not need it, it is provided by the government to protect the first family.
Like it or not, she is the first lady.