New Yorkers Fight Paying Trump's $1M-Per-Day Security Bill

NEW YORK CITY, NY — Tens of thousands of people have signed a Change.org petition to protest the money New York City is paying to protect President-elect Donald Trump and his family. The tab being passed to taxpayers: $1 million a day.

The petition, which had more than 88,000 signatures by early Friday afternoon, has been re-tweeted by the likes of punk rocker Kathleen Hanna and actor Debra Messing. It is looking to get 150,000 supporters. It is addressed to Mayor Bill de Blasio and Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

New York City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, along with Council Member Dan Garodnick (whose district includes Trump Tower), started a similar Change.org petition of their own this week, asking Trump himself to use federal funds to pay the costs of his security in Midtown Manhattan. (As of Friday afternoon at 2 p.m., the petition had more than a 1,000 signatures.)

Trump's wife, Melania, and the couple's son, Barron, will reportedly be staying at Trump Tower instead of moving to the White House after the inauguration in January.

The first and larger petition states: "The New York taxpayers refuse to pay over $1 million a day so she can stay. If this decision has been made, between [de Blasio and Cuomo] 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."

De Blasio said at a November press conference that "the No. 1 imperative here is safety and security" for the president-elect, his family and staff. However, he said the city will need federal help with costs, CNN reported.

"This is a very substantial undertaking. It will take substantial resources," de Blasio said. "We will begin the conversation with the federal government shortly on reimbursement for the NYPD for some of the costs that we are incurring."

The Secret Service is in charge of protecting presidents and presidents-elect. But the NYPD — including cops in the Midtown South Precinct, where Trump Tower is located — have been providing backup.

Located on Fifth Avenue between 56th and 57th streets, Trump Tower has attracted numerous anti-Trump demonstrations and a parade of potential candidates for the Trump administration, causing car and pedestrian snarls in the area and bad business for the upscale shops on Fifth Avenue.

The mayor and governor's offices, as well as Trump representatives, were not immediately available for comment.

Lead photo by Bin Im Garten/Wikimedia Commons