The First Lady is all set to move out of the White House. She has even hired an interior decorator to modify the family's Mar-a-Lago home.
While President Donald Trump refuses to concede in the recently concluded US presidential elections 2020 to President-elect Joe Biden, there is one member of the Trump family who wants all of it to get it over as soon as possible: First Lady Melania Trump.
CNN reported that according to one source, Mrs. Trump just wants to put the four years behind her and get out of the White House. The first lady knows that even with the prestigious title, there's nothing much left for her to do. On top of that, she has to ensure that the transition from Washington to someplace else turns out to be easy for both her and her 14-year-old son Barron Trump.
As per reports, while the president is adamant about proving foul play in the elections, Mrs. Trump has already started shipping her personal stuff to Mar-a-Lago, Palm Beach, not just from the White House, but from her Trump Tower penthouse in New York City as well. "She just wants to go home," stated an insider who is very close to her. Renovation of their Mar-a-Lago apartment has already begun.
A source close to the President told People, “Donald’s apartment, which once belonged to Mar-a-Lago estate creator Marjorie Merriweather Post, will be expanded and spruced up. They are definitely renovating his apartment within the Mar-a-Lago Club to make it larger, more modern, and comfortable for his use."
Interior decorator, Tham Kannalikham, has been busy redesigning their home at Mar-a-Lago. Kannalikham is the one the first lady hired back in 2017 to modify the White House executive residence personal quarters when the family moved in.
Laurence Leamer, author of Mar-a-Lago: Inside the Gates of Power at Donald Trump's Presidential Palace, believes it will become "confining very quickly." She added, "It will be the weirdest thing. It will feel like staying full-time at a nice hotel. It's fine for a bit, sure, but can you imagine Donald Trump just sitting around there for six months of the year?"
The Independent reported that even though the first lady has shown support for the president at every step, her views are a bit different when it comes to the rumors of her husband running for president in 2024. The source revealed that it “might not go over well” with the first lady.
Mrs. Trump's chief of staff Stephanie Grisham told CNN, “Mrs. Trump is focused on her role as first lady. Monday she unveiled her most current effort in preserving the White House by announcing the completion of the tennis pavilion."
She continued, “She also recently unveiled a new piece of art in the newly renovated Rose Garden. Her office just revealed this year's Christmas décor. Her schedule remains full with her duties as a mother, wife, and first lady of the United States.”
Mrs. Trump has apparently made inquiries about funds and staff for an office which only implies that she's thinking of continuing the work that she started at the White House even after she moves out. While one source revealed that there are no specific plans, another said that she's been deliberating about continuing her work to help children with her "Be Best" initiative.
Although former presidents receive some parting gifts, the first lady can only expect funds to set up her official office along with staff and cover her travel cost. Apart from the $20,000-a-year pension, which is paid out only in case of the demise of her husband, she's pretty much on her own. Before exiting the White House, Mrs. Trump is busy designing the official Trump china that would soon be a part of the White House's official collection.
References:
https://edition.cnn.com/2020/12/09/politics/melania-trump-future/index.html
