In what would be a break with tradition, a source claims that Melania and Barron Trump might not be moving into the White House at all. Previously, the first lady had said she planned to move to Washington, D.C., once her 10-year-old son was finished with his current school year in New York City. But since the inauguration, there have been rumors that living in Manhattan might be a more permanent option for the two. There is speculation that Mr. Trump’s family will only visit him on weekends. A source, identified as a family insider, told Us Weekly, “They will reevaluate toward the end of the school year if they will keep this arrangement or if Melania and Barron will move to Washington.”
Currently in New York, Mrs. Trump has begun hiring her staff, and while she remains focused on her duties as first lady, she has made it clear that her primary concern is being a mother to her young son.
Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, senior adviser to the first lady, disputed the report that Barron and Melania will remain in New York in a statement to CNN:
“Mrs. Trump will be moving to DC and settling in to the White House at the end of the school year, splitting her time between New York and DC in the meantime,” she said. “Mrs. Trump is honored to serve this country and is taking the role and responsibilities of first lady very seriously. It has only been a short time since the inauguration and the first lady is going to go about her role in a pragmatic and thoughtful way that is unique and authentic to her.”
The president has said that he doesn’t get lonely without his family because he ends up working more. One issue, however, with the Trump family staying put in New York is the financial burden that it puts on the city. It is unclear how much it costs for Melania and Barron to live there alone, but if Mr. Trump joins them at Trump Tower, it is possible that it could cost New York taxpayers more than $1 million per day for security for the first family.
While his wife spends much of her time in New York, Mr. Trump’s daughter, Ivanka, has been stepping in to fulfill some duties that might otherwise go to the first lady. According to Town and Country:
She accompanied the president on an unannounced trip to Delaware’s Dover Air Force Base to [honor] the Navy SEAL who was killed during a weekend raid on al Qaeda militants in Yemen.
William “Ryan” Owens, a 36-year-old chief special warfare operator, was the first member of the military killed in action since Trump became president. He was one of approximately 30 people killed during last weekend’s raid, and one of two American casualties; the other American killed was the 8-year-old American daughter of Anwar al-Awlaki, an al Qaeda leader who was born in New Mexico and died in a U.S. drone strike in 2011.
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