The average American moves approximately 12 times throughout the course of their life. But most never get the chance to move into the nation’s most prestigious address on Pennsylvania Avenue. Finally, after much speculation, the White House recently announced that First Lady Melania Trump and her son, Barron, will move in this summer.
Until now, Melania and her son have continued to reside in their New York City penthouse apartment. Since President Trump’s election in November, the couple planned to live separately for the first few months of his term so that 11-year-old Barron could finish out the year at Columbia Grammar and Preparatory School. But now, the White House has officially stated that Melania and Barron will pack up and relocate to D.C. to join Donald.
The decision may satisfy the half-a-million people who signed an online petition that gave Melania a choice: move into the White House or pay for the astronomical New York living expenses yourself.
The state of New York has estimated it would spend an average of anywhere from $127,00 to $146,000 per day just on police to protect the First Lady and her son. In addition, it costs around $4.5 million a year for the NYFD to provide their services to the New York faction of the First Family. From just November 8, 2016 to January 20, 2017, city police spent $24 million to ensure their safety.
The Change.Org petition, which was signed by more than 500,000 people in a two-week span, noted, “The U.S. taxpayer is paying an exorbitant amount of money to protect the First Lady in Trump Tower. As to help relieve the national debt, this expense yields no positive results for the nation and should be cut from being funded.”
But now, it looks like there might not be much need for the petition to reach its million-signature goal. While there’s no move-in date set yet, the First Lady is reportedly already putting her stamp on the historic estate. A senior aide told United Press International that Melania is taking on an active role in arranging the White House to her liking in advance of her relocation.
Once there, Barron Trump will be the first boy to reside in the White House since John F. Kennedy Jr. moved in as an infant, after his father’s 1961 inauguration.
Whether Melania and Barron’s presence will keep the president in D.C., rather than at his Palm Beach estate, Mar-a-Lago, remains to be seen.
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