More than half a million people have signed a petition calling for Melania Trump to move to the White House or pay for her own security costs.
The First Lady is still living in Trump Tower with her son, Barron, more than two months after husband Donald Trump moved to Washington DC following his inauguration in January.
It costs between $127,000 and $146,000 (£101,000 and £116,000) a day of taxpayers’ money “to protect the First Lady and her son while they reside in Trump Tower,” according to an NYPD letter sent to members of the New York delegation to Congress.
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.”
Having received more than its goal of 150,000 signatures, the petition is being sent to the US Senate, as well as Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren.
People who signed the petition have condemned the “extravagance” of the Trump family lifestyle.
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 signatory, Lyn Siegel, wrote: “Every first lady has lived in the white house. We pay enough for Trump's golf trips.”
Carolyn Maloney, a New York Congresswoman, said in a statement that the city's taxpayers should not be forced to pay for a "national security obligation," and that "Congress must provide city taxpayers a full reimbursement."
Mr Trump has been criticised in recent weeks after taking more than a dozen golfing breaks since his inauguration 11 weeks ago. According to an analysis by Politico, each trip costs the taxpayer around $3 million (£2.4 million).
