Melania "just wants to go home"
The first lady is sorting personal items between the New York penthouse and the residence in Mar-a-Lago, Florida. She was expecting a monthly prerogative, but nothing is foreseen for the wives of the former presidents
In mid-November, as Donald began to rant against the election results, his wife Melania stood by his side in public, but privately the first lady had instructed a trusted person to discreetly find out what she had in terms of budget and personnel for the post-White House.
While the President is still busy finding a way to stay in Washington, she is choosing what to send to New York and what is to be labeled as Mar-a-Lago, Palm Beach, Florida.
"She just wants to go home," revealed a source who assures that she is close to Melania, adding that the first lady does not agree at all on her husband's idea of running back to the presidential elections of 2024.
The first lady is counting on the trusted support of Marcia Lee Kelly, Trump's unpaid special adviser whose role was useful in the final months of her husband's term. Kelly had previously managed the White House administration and when it became clear to everyone that Trump should be preparing for a life after Washington, the first lady commissioned Kelly to probe with the Office of Management and Budget whether public funds exist for the former. first lady.
The answer, very briefly, is no. While there are post-presidential benefits, a budget for setting up an office with staff and figures to cover some travel expenses, there is no government prerogative for first ladies, aside from a paltry $ 20,000 pension. year, moreover paid only in the event of the death of her husband.
The first lady is currently focused on her legacy of hers, how to leave a mark of her passage to the White House. You would be considering the idea of a book, a tradition followed by most of the first ladies: the memoirs of Michelle Obama, "Becoming", and Laura Bush, "Spoken from the Heart", have become bestsellers. However, it seems that Mrs. Trump is thinking of a photographic volume focused on the history of hospitality in the White House, or perhaps still dedicated to the design projects that she completed while she was first lady. Melania also did one of the last things most first ladies do before leaving the White House: select the administration’s official porcelain service.
“Ms. Trump is still focused on her role as first lady. On Monday you announced the completion of the tennis pavilion and recently inaugurated a new work of art within the recently renovated Rose Garden. She then worked hard on the Christmas decorations and her agenda is full of her duties as a mother, wife and first lady of the United States, ”said the first lady's chief of staff, Stephanie Grisham.
But Melania is focused above all on Mar-a-Lago and on the idea of ensuring a smooth transition from Washington for herself and her son Barron, for which enrollment in an exclusive school in Florida would be confirmed. Tham Kannalikham, the interior designer Trump hired in 2017 to redesign the personal quarters of the White House executives' residence, in recent weeks has focused on the residence in Florida, dealing personally with colors, fabrics and combinations. Minor renovations to the bathrooms are also underway, although nothing major can be touched on the property without a grueling authorization process, as Mar-a-Lago is a building of historical interest and permits for modifications or additions are very high. unlikely. For a family used to living on several floors in the Manhattan penthouse, a considerable downsizing will be necessary to be able to reside in Mar-a-Lago: the residence contains a main building of about 3,000 square meters, a very generous size for many families. but a sort of studio apartment after having had the 55,000 square meters of the White House available.
"It will be like staying full time in a nice hotel - commented Laurence Leamer, author of" Mar-a-Lago: Inside the Gates of Power at Donald Trump's Presidential Palace "(Mar-a-Lago, inside the gates of the Presidential) - it'll be fine for a while, sure, but who can imagine Donald Trump staring there for six months a year? Knowing him, he will begin to feel confined very quickly ”.
Not to mention the constant flow of club members who will pass the former president's front door every time they leave the pool to reach the dining room or spa. "It will be the strangest thing, but perhaps it is the queen proof that if Trump is as rich as he says he would have closed the club and reserved the entire estate as his home."
A source familiar with preparations for Trump's arrival said there is currently "a massive presence of intelligence men" who are evaluating the former president's long-term security.
Melania sees Mar-a-Lago as a quiet residence made of sun, solitude and self-care. "Her parents, Viktor and Amalija Knvas, have a suite not far from the family's quarters," but the first lady also knows that Mar-a-Lago is the only place her husband could find some useful appreciation. to feed his ego after spending four years under the eyes of the whole world. "He knows that he is not the former president willing to retire to a quiet life to write his memoirs, or to devote himself to oil painting." The club rituals when the Trumps appear in the halls at lunch or dinner time include the hymn "God Bless America" with everyone present standing and with their hand on their heart.
