The President-elect Donald Trump has had a rare second move into the White House, and according to his wife, Melania, it’s a lot easier this time. “I know where I will be going. I know the rooms where we will be living. I know the process,” she recently shared describing their first move in 2017 as “challenging.
The transition process also poses challenges for the White House residence staff, including maids and butlers, who oversee the private quarters of the president. On Inauguration Day, they have only five hours to transition from one first family to the next. “Everything needs to be planned to the minute,” Melania said on Fox & Friends.
It all starts with the outgoing and incoming presidents departing the White House together for the inauguration ceremony at the Capitol. “As soon as they leave, the executive residence staff swings into action,” said Matthew Costello, chief education officer of the White House Historical Association. “Essentially, staff is working nonstop to inventory, process, and move all of the personal items of one first family out and a new first family in.
The new first family arrives at the White House after the ceremony, address, luncheon, and parade, where they find all their personal belongings unpacked, furniture arranged, and favorite foods stocked in the kitchen. Moving trucks for both families are stationed nearby and cleared through security once the ceremony starts.
Due to bitter cold weather, Trump announced adjustments to the day’s schedule, including moving the inauguration indoors to the Capitol Rotunda and relocating the parade to an indoor arena. These changes may affect the timeline for the transition.
The residence staff works in groups to streamline the move. Some pack the outgoing first family’s belongings, while others handle the incoming family’s items, unpacking and arranging them according to Melania Trump’s preferences. The White House undergoes deep cleaning, including washing windows, vacuuming or replacing carpets, stocking fresh linens and towels, and bringing in new mattresses.
This kind of transition planning starts after the November election. In 2016, for instance, Melania Trump visited Michelle Obama at the White House when her husband, Donald Trump, visited then-President Barack Obama. Trump, however broke with tradition in 2020 and did not extend an invitation to President-elect Joe Biden, so Melania did not meet with Jill Biden.
In this case, Trump accepted a meeting with Biden in the Oval Office, but Melania declined to connect with Jill Biden.
