It is a matter of few weeks that Donald Trump will have to leave the White House and US presidency to hand the reigns to his successor Joe Biden, even though Trump is far from conceding defeat. When Trump debunked the poll results as fraud, he had his wife Melania Trump siding by him, at least publicly. But it looks like that is not the case in private.
Days after the final vote count, the first lady tasked an emissary with discreetly finding out what was available to her in terms of budget and staff allocation for post-White House life, the CNN reported. On one hand, Trump is refusing to concede defeat and leave the White House, his wife is determining what to put in storage, what goes to Trump's New York City digs, and what should be tagged for shipment to Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida.
"She just wants to go home," a source familiar with Melania Trump's state of mind was quoted as saying by the CNN.
The American media outlet reported that while there are "presidential perks" for such things for the outgoing commander in chief, budgets to set up an official office and staff and cover some travel costs, there is nothing from the government for any first lady, save a paltry $20,000-a-year pension, which is paid out only if her husband dies.
Melania is focused on her legacy and she is considering a book. The book, however, won't be a memoir, but a photo-centric book.
"Mrs. Trump is focused on her role as the first lady. Monday she unveiled her most current effort in preserving the White House by announcing the completion of the tennis pavilion. She also recently unveiled a new piece of art in the newly renovated Rose Garden. Her office just revealed this year's Christmas decor. Her schedule remains full with her duties as a mother, wife and first lady of the United States," the first lady's chief of staff Stephanie Grisham told CNN.
A source said that Melania Trump is now focused on Mar-a-Lago "ensuring a smooth transition out of Washington for herself and her 14-year-old-son, Barron". The source further said that the First Lady is "already overseeing shipments of personal items to Mar-a-Lago from both the White House and her Trump Tower penthouse in New York City".