Patterico's Pontifications

11/20/2016

Report: Melania Trump Not Moving To White House

Filed under: General — Patterico @ 1:30 pm



I always assumed the next President would not be sleeping in the same bed with the President’s spouse. But this is not exactly what I had in mind.

Future First Lady Melania Trump and son Barron will not be moving to the White House after Donald Trump’s inauguration in January, The Post has learned.

The president-elect’s 46-year-old wife and their 10-year-old son are staying put at the family’s glitzy Trump Tower penthouse so that Barron can continue attending his Upper West Side private school, sources told The Post.

“Melania is extremely close to Barron, and they have become closer during the campaign,” said a source close to Trump’s transition team. “The campaign has been difficult for Barron, and she is really hoping to keep disruption to a minimum.”

Another source said Melania Trump will travel to the White House as needed, but that her primary focus is on Barron.

First, the always-important caveat: anonymous “sources” could be wrong.

If they’re right, then I’m not sure what to make of this — but it’s pretty odd to imagine a President living in the White House while his wife and son live in New York City.

I’m not going to offer any criticism of this. I tend to think people’s family lives are their own business — even if it’s the President of the United States. I assume Melania is doing what she thinks is best for her son.

But I’ll admit to being surprised. The story does say the situation could change at the end of the school year, but it might not.

It also means that the disruption to residents and tourists in the area of Trump Tower will continue for the foreseeable future.

“That building is going to become the White House of New York,” said Jim Reese, a former Delta Force commander and president of TigerSwan, a global security company based in North Carolina.

“The Secret Service is going to have to keep that whole area cordoned off so that some wacko can’t get close and detonate a car bomb.”

Strict security measures around Trump Tower will remain in place, with two of the five lanes on Fifth Avenue between West 56th and 57th streets closed because of barriers, said officials at a joint NYPD, Secret Service and City Hall news conference Friday.

Following the presidential election, the area around Trump Tower has turned into a traffic nightmare, with West 56th Street closed to traffic between Fifth and Madison avenues, and shoppers having to go through a security cordon and subject to bag checks.

Well, there you have it.

[Cross-posted at RedState.]

51 Responses to “Report: Melania Trump Not Moving To White House”

  1. Shocking.

    Colonel Haiku (2601c0)

  2. Kevin Williamson at NRO thinks this is a fine double-middle-finger salute to the pretentiousness of Washington, DC:

    There is no particular reason for Trump to live full-time in Washington. Washington is a dump, one of the least attractive and least inspiring American cities. Trump Tower is a dump, too, a big vertical void in the middle of one of the least interesting parts of Manhattan, but Trump apparently likes it, and he has gone to the trouble of gold-plating his toilets, which you do not do unless you are really planning to plant yourself in place.

    Trump’s hesitation to set up housekeeping in our nation’s hideous capital is not causing klaxons of alarum because people are concerned about good government. A nation genuinely concerned about good government would not have entrusted its chief administrative post to Donald J. Trump, a frequently bankrupt casino operator and game-show host. Rather, this is about Trump’s implicit declaration — one shared by his enthusiasts — that Washington is not the most important American city, much less the center of the world, which is where Washingtonians often mistakenly believe themselves to be.

    JVW (6e49ce)

  3. Probably a good call, as even a 10 year old child of a Republican president would be subject to everything a young child of a Democrat wouldn’t be.

    Colonel Haiku (2601c0)

  4. so intriguing

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  5. Good for her. And the kid.

    Nice place to visit but who’d want to live there; the White House is a cramped old mansion– festooned with antiques. It’s a step down to be sure in terms of spacious living for the 21st century. Bess Truman wasn’t keen on the place, either, and it’s not a place to raise a kid.

    Besides, Washington is merely the center of the political world. Midtown Manhattan is the focal point of the Universe.

    “… New York, New York, it’s a helluva town!!!” – ‘On The Town’ MGM, 1949

    DCSCA (797bc0)

  6. there is no such thing as ‘On The Town’ MGM, 1949

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  7. ^ two birds, one stone…🙏

    urbanleftbehind (a992b8)

  8. Good. Maybe Trump will let Obama’s mother-in-law stay.

    Ipso Fatso (028fcf)

  9. All the female press secretary candidates suddenly withdraw from consideration

    urbanleftbehind (a992b8)

  10. @6. Arnold Ziffel was a happy pig, too.

    “Darling I love ya’ but give me Park Avenue.” -Lisa Douglas [Eva Gabor] ‘Green Acres’ CBS TV

    DCSCA (797bc0)

  11. I suspect that Barron would get some rudeness at any school he went to. Upper West Side is probably no more GOP territory than DC is. No wonder the campaign has been rough on him. The other kid’s parents are probably aghast that he’s even in their class.

    Kevin M (25bbee)

  12. I also imagine that the value of a condo in Trump Tower has taken a beating.

    Kevin M (25bbee)

  13. Barron is the mostest precious monkey except for Damian

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  14. At least Donald won’t steal the Whitehouse drapery.

    ras (6c6c0c)

  15. This sounds very much like a temporary arrangement.

    “President-elect Donald Trump said Sunday that his wife and 10-year-old son will not move into the White House right away, but will remain in New York until the end of the school year.

    Trump spoke to reporters gathered at his golf club in Bedminster, N.J., during a day of private meetings with potential administration officials. He said he will live in the White House, while wife Melania and son Barron will follow “right after he finishes school.”‘

    elissa (8f05d5)

  16. that makes me wanna hurry up and finish school so i can live in the white house too

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  17. Greetings:

    I heard that they both love that “Hamilton” musical and go every night and couldn’t bear to miss it.

    11B40 (6abb5c)

  18. What’s the expiration date on this bull shyte?

    One week. Over/under?

    papertiger (c8116c)

  19. Bess Truman had good reason to hate living in the White House.

    The White House Reconstruction, also known as the Truman Reconstruction, was a comprehensive dismantling and rebuilding of the interior of the White House between 1949-1952. A century-and-a-half of wartime destruction and rebuilding, hurried renovations, additions of new services, technologies, an added Third Floor, and inadequate foundations brought the Executive Residence portion of the White House Complex to near-imminent collapse. In 1948 architectural and engineering investigations deemed it unsafe for occupancy and President Harry S. Truman, his family, and the entire residence staff were relocated across the street. For over three years the White House was gutted, expanded, and rebuilt. The scope, costs, and historical authenticity of the work were controversial, with the reconstruction being called both structurally essential, and a disaster.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_House_Reconstruction

    papertiger (c8116c)

  20. it could be true, however why doesn’t the open the quote from the beginning,

    narciso (d1f714)

  21. The important thing is that Barack and Michelle are moving out of the White House.
    And that nasty Hillary woman and her sicko husband Bill won’t be moving in.

    Christmas will be good.
    Pudding and egg nog for America!

    Cruz Supporter (102c9a)

  22. An unconfirmed, anonymous source confirmed, however, that Ted Cruz would “absolutely” move into the White House if asked.

    nk (dbc370)

  23. This is just inconsiderate. I understand her not wanting to move to DC, and have no objection at all to that, but what gives her the right to put her neighbors through all this nonsense for so long? Not to mention people who just want to get from A to B. If she wants to stay there then the Secret Service should be asked to reduce its footprint, and if that makes the Trumps a bit less safe, so be it. They should take that risk as the price they have to pay to live where they want to. If they don’t like it there’s a perfectly good safe house they can move into whenever they choose.

    Milhouse (7905a0)

  24. @20– She wasn’t too keen on the invasion of privacy issues, beyond the renovation work– the Truman letters only confirm it.

    DCSCA (797bc0)

  25. The Williamson article is good, because he hates Trump. And he points out that like all the other rules being invented in the last fortnight for Trump by his political enemies, they never minded when their own people were doing it:

    When Regular Guy Joe takes the train from Wilmington to Washington, they clear out half a car for his use — Biden himself sits stock still, looking frail and terrified — while teams of Secret Service agents are dispatched to each and every stop along the way to swarm the vice-presidential car and prevent any incursions from the plebs. At the end of the journey, the Amtrak riders are kept on the train — at gunpoint — until Regular Guy Joe has cleared the platform, which can take a while. Do they have places to be and schedules to keep? Of course they do, but the Cult of the Imperial Presidency extends to the Semi-Divine Vice Presidency and its odd, pseudo-democratic rituals.

    Gabriel Hanna (905cbf)

  26. The TV channels were reporting today that Donald himself may not make the WH his primary residence. So thus may be an extension of that.

    Kishnevi (857e3e)

  27. perhaps, he has a clue, one tends to doubt

    https://twitter.com/kausmickey/status/800524729018789888

    narciso (d1f714)

  28. What’s the expiration date on this bull shyte?

    One week. Over/under?

    Are we meant to understand what you mean by that?

    Patterico (115b1f)

  29. His wife and son won’t be living with him and he won’t even be conducting business in the Oval Office or West Wing (security reconstruction).

    I am pleased with anything indicative of “not business as usual.”

    Ed from SFV (3400a5)

  30. Trump spoke to reporters gathered at his golf club in Bedminster, N.J., during a day of private meetings with potential administration officials. He said he will live in the White House, while wife Melania and son Barron will follow “right after he finishes school.”‘

    What does “finish school” mean?

    Isn’t there another school year beginning after this one? He’s 10 years old. He’s not graduating high school.

    Patterico (115b1f)

  31. Barron is a young boy whose father’s new job has brought out tremendous levels of hate. Perhaps, reasonably, the thinking is that by keeping him at his same school, with its familiarity and his friends, it keep some consistency in his life which is surely being tipped over, and will also give the angry masses time to accept a Trump presidency. I take “finish school” to mean after this school year ends.

    The bottom line, Barron Trump will not be given the same measure of leeway and respect that the Obama girls were afforded. Surely his parents are aware of this, and given Melania Trump’s closeness with her son and actual hands-on rearing of him, sans nannies, she will want to protect him as much as possible.

    Frankly, I’m not at all surprised by the decision.

    Dana (d17a61)

  32. Patterico,Barron might be starting middle school next year, and therefore a new set of classmates and teachers no matter where he lives.

    Kishnevi (857e3e)

  33. Bingo, Dana.

    elissa (c4f7a3)

  34. According to NBC, Donald Trump clarified, saying that Melania and Barron Trump are expected to relocate after the school year ends.

    https://mobile.twitter.com/KellyO/status/800434323488931844

    Dana (d17a61)

  35. I’m saying this story was born false, and I’m saying the line for wagering should be over/under a week before it’s confirmed definitively false.

    papertiger (c8116c)

  36. It’s probably not false — I would not pull my fifth grader out of school in the middle of the year either, and I wouldn’t care how many rich Manhattan jerkoffs were inconvenienced — but it’s at about the same level of “news” as Kylie Jenner’s baby shower gift to Blac Chyna.

    nk (dbc370)

  37. this story is bunk. It was born bunk.
    ANd I give it less than a week before it’s debunked.

    I’m taking under.

    papertiger (c8116c)

  38. @22’Christmas will be good. Pudding and egg nog for America!’

    Is that code for rich and white or just that everything to like is immoral, illegal and fattening?

    “… Just like the ones you use to know.” Oberst Von Scherbach [Otto Preminger] ‘Stalag 17’ 1953

    DCSCA (797bc0)

  39. What came of that story with the security clearances that was last week’s squirrel?

    narciso (d1f714)

  40. @43- That rodent is now likely classified.

    DCSCA (797bc0)

  41. 11. Kevin M (25bbee) — 11/20/2016 @ 3:18 pm

    I suspect that Barron would get some rudeness at any school he went to. Upper West Side is probably no more GOP territory than DC is.

    Not the school where he has been going to all year and probably for a few years, where they all knew him before they knew him as son of the terrible Donald Trump, who wasn’t quite so terribly regarded a year and a half ago, and was not associated with very badly regarded politics or political positions by at least some of the parents of the other children.

    I think the previous two children or K-12 school age of presidents not living in Washington, Amy Carter and Chelsea Clinton, did switch schools in the middle of a school year.

    It looks like Mayor de Blasio is wrong – the traffic and security problems around Trump Tower will not all go away on January 20. That was clearly wrong the moment he said it, because he seemed to be presuming he would never or rarely even visit.

    Sammy Finkelman (704f59)

  42. 43. narciso (d1f714) — 11/20/2016 @ 10:42 pm

    What came of that story with the security clearances that was last week’s squirrel?

    Jared Kushner is going to probably ask, or already has, for a security clearance; Donald Trump’s three oldest children probably not. Jared Kushner is investigating putting his assets into a blind trust, and taking no salary. This is being criticized, and some Democrats want to stop him from taking any kind of position, saying that no matter how he does it, it won’t be legal – it’ll violate either the anti-nepotism law or the Anti-Deficiency Act.

    And also that the only way Donald Trump can avoid a conflict of interets is for the Trump organization to go public (or to have a leveraged buyout) – and he also should release his income tax returns. And if he says he will release his tax returns after all audits are completed, that’s the same thing as not releasing them as long as he remains president, because there’s a law (probably since Nixon) that says every president’s tax returns must be audited. They don’t have to be made public, though, although they have been made public voluntarily Ford or Carter, and some people want to make that a law. There was a time in the 1920s when certain tax returns of very rich people were required to be made public so there’s no constitutional or other obstacle.

    There’s a claim they won’t be able to figure out conflicts of interest as long as Trump does not release his tax returns, although that wouldn’t give them all of the possible conflicts, and ceryainly not all possible imaginary ones that Harry Reid, let’s say, might find. They say that, although they also say that as long as Trump retains ownership of the Trump organization, even under a blind trust, which turning management over to his three oldest children wouldn’t be, he will always know about conflicts of interest, certainly about the effects of some potential changes in tax law.

    Sammy Finkelman (704f59)

  43. There was no evidence of this, sammeh, that was the point. Then we consider whether it might be a wise move.

    narciso (d1f714)

  44. 43,44: As long as Secret Squirrel doesn’t get duped by a Morroco Mole, it’s all good.

    urbanleftbehind (34f3bc)

  45. narciso (d1f714) — 11/21/2016 @ 8:44 am

    There was no evidence of this, sammeh, that was the point. Then we consider whether it might be a wise move.

    NO evidence of what?

    There were leaks, it turned out to be exaggerated and maybe leaked by someone who wanted to cause trouble, butthe idea of Trump’s three oldest children getting security clearances had been brought up, and it Kelly Anne Conway confirmed it was informally brought up or a question raised, but no actyual steps taken to start a security clearance process. That may not be the cae, though, for Jared Kushner.

    And now you’ve got people (mostly or all Democrats – it has to be) arguing that’s there’s no way that JK can be used.

    Sammy Finkelman (07e67b)

  46. By “finish school” Trump, probably, in fact very nearly certainly, means the school year, even if it is the 5th grade and the same school goes on to the 6th grade. Donald Trump, after all, does have a way of using the wrong words.

    There can’t be any doubt as to his meaning. It’s the school term, even if they take a break in January. President Obama is doing the same thing with Sasha, his younger daughter. (Malia is taking a year off from school before going to college) Although Obama might even stay longer than half a year in Washington.

    Sammy Finkelman (07e67b)

  47. I hope the 5th Ave. traffic snarl drives snob NYers insane, including dicommieo. They voted for Hillary. Well, suck it up, buttercup. I don’t blame Melania for preferring NY over DC, especially with the boy still in school there. This is way better than Bridgegate, and not a damn thing Dicommieo and Cuomocommie can do about it. 🙂

    ocean (38f70a)


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