Donald and Melania Trump eat at a cordoned off table like “zoo animals,” recounts book
Donald Trump and his wife Melania are reportedly treated like "zoo animals" on their Mar-a-Lago farm in Florida and often eat behind a "table with ropes," according to a new book.
Journalist Michael Wolff reveals these claims in his new book Landslide: The Final Days of the Trump Presidency, an excerpt from which was shared with The Times.
The Trumps are supposedly "viewed, in a way, as zoo animals," Wolff writes, before determining that they are more like a "newlywed couple" with "wellness lovers" who continually greet them.
The former president has been residing at his Florida Mar-a-Lago estate since he left the White House on January 20. He recently moved to New Jersey for the summer when Mar-a-Lago is closed for hurricane season.
Wolff claims the couple maintain an "old-fashioned club life" at the resort and are fawned over by their fans.
At dinner, the journalist details that Mr. Trump appears "just when the patio has been filled, at which time everyone stands up and applauds."
“Often when Melania is here, they eat alone at a cordoned-off table in the center - looked at, in a way, like zoo animals,” writes The Times.
Wolff also speculates about how much time Melania Trump actually spends in Mar-a-Lago with her husband, referencing her delay in moving her to the White House in 2017.
"During four years in the White House, it was never very clear how much time was spent in the White House or in a house in Maryland where she had installed her parents," he reads in the book.
The author continues: “The helpers were careful not to inquire closely or wonder openly. Also here, in Mar-a-Lago, it was not clear.
Since Trump left Washington for Florida on Joe Biden's inauguration day, he is said to have spoken at GOP fundraisers and even made cameos at weddings held at the club.
Melania Trump has kept a low profile since she stepped down from her role in the administration. Even during her time as first lady, she embodied a relatively private person.
Trump's spokeswoman Liz Harrington called the claims in Wolff's book "false" in a statement to The Mail Online.
"Michael Wolff sat for more than two hours in interviews with President Trump and never asked him about the false claims that Wolff has made," Harrington told the newspaper.
She added: "If he had, President Trump would have taken them apart, but instead Wolff decided to try to sell books with more Fake News."
The Independent has contacted the Office of Donald J Trump and the Office of Melania Trump for comment.
Reports have often speculated on the couple's behavior since their abrupt departure from the nation's capital, with CNN having previously reported that Melania Trump spends a lot of time at the spa.
As for Trump, it is not yet clear what his next political move may be. Rumors about a possible bid for the presidency in 2024 have continued, but he has yet to confirm any concrete plans.
