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Melania Trump Leaves New York Behind for the White House Melania Trump Leaves New York Behind for the White House
(about 2 hours later)
Melania Trump will attend a congressional picnic in the final days of June. She will start filling out her roster of aides. She will get her son settled into his new home and, then, in the fall, a new school. And she will turn attention to the range of issues that a first lady has the ability to affect.Melania Trump will attend a congressional picnic in the final days of June. She will start filling out her roster of aides. She will get her son settled into his new home and, then, in the fall, a new school. And she will turn attention to the range of issues that a first lady has the ability to affect.
For the first time since President Trump was inaugurated, his wife is living full time in the White House. She and the couple’s son, Barron, left Trump Tower in Manhattan behind over the weekend, a transition that the first lady announced on her husband’s favorite medium, Twitter, after it was completed. For the first time since President Trump was inaugurated, his wife is living full time in the White House. She and the couple’s 11-year-old son, Barron, left Trump Tower in Manhattan behind over the weekend, a transition that the first lady announced on her husband’s favorite medium, Twitter, after it was completed.
“Looking forward to the memories we’ll make in our new home! #Movingday,” Mrs. Trump wrote in her 8:30 p.m. post on Sunday, accompanied by a photo of the view of the South Lawn from the White House’s second-floor residence. Mrs. Trump’s stealth approach to leaving New York for Washington reflected the fiercely guarded privacy that she has tried to maintain since Mr. Trump formally became a presidential candidate in June 2015.“Looking forward to the memories we’ll make in our new home! #Movingday,” Mrs. Trump wrote in her 8:30 p.m. post on Sunday, accompanied by a photo of the view of the South Lawn from the White House’s second-floor residence. Mrs. Trump’s stealth approach to leaving New York for Washington reflected the fiercely guarded privacy that she has tried to maintain since Mr. Trump formally became a presidential candidate in June 2015.
What her presence portends for her life in the White House is unclear. Mrs. Trump, 47, has not carved out a distinct area of interest yet, and people close to her say she is still considering how she wants to use what has traditionally been a public platform that Michelle Obama used to highlight an anti-obesity initiative and that Laura Bush used to prioritize children’s literacy.What her presence portends for her life in the White House is unclear. Mrs. Trump, 47, has not carved out a distinct area of interest yet, and people close to her say she is still considering how she wants to use what has traditionally been a public platform that Michelle Obama used to highlight an anti-obesity initiative and that Laura Bush used to prioritize children’s literacy.
But Mrs. Trump’s immediate focus is likely to be inside the White House, where her husband has become increasingly isolated from his party and even his own staff since his abrupt firing of James B. Comey, the director of the F.B.I.But Mrs. Trump’s immediate focus is likely to be inside the White House, where her husband has become increasingly isolated from his party and even his own staff since his abrupt firing of James B. Comey, the director of the F.B.I.
“She is the president’s never-ending barometer of reality, and she delivers candor and honesty blended with selfless love for him and his family in equal doses,” said Thomas J. Barrack Jr., a close friend of the Trumps who has known the first lady since 1998.“She is the president’s never-ending barometer of reality, and she delivers candor and honesty blended with selfless love for him and his family in equal doses,” said Thomas J. Barrack Jr., a close friend of the Trumps who has known the first lady since 1998.
For those new to Mr. Trump’s world, the impeccably dressed former model who became his third wife in 2003 has become a ray of hope as the person who will finally be the one to tame the untamable president.For those new to Mr. Trump’s world, the impeccably dressed former model who became his third wife in 2003 has become a ray of hope as the person who will finally be the one to tame the untamable president.
But those expectations are unrealistic, unfairly raise expectations and are unlikely to be met, people close to Mrs. Trump point out. Mrs. Trump, in the few interviews she gave during the campaign, made her feelings about her husband’s tweeting clear.But those expectations are unrealistic, unfairly raise expectations and are unlikely to be met, people close to Mrs. Trump point out. Mrs. Trump, in the few interviews she gave during the campaign, made her feelings about her husband’s tweeting clear.
“Sometimes I say I have two teenage boys at home — my young son and my husband,” Mrs. Trump told the CNN host Anderson Cooper about a week after the existence of the infamous “Access Hollywood” tape became known.“Sometimes I say I have two teenage boys at home — my young son and my husband,” Mrs. Trump told the CNN host Anderson Cooper about a week after the existence of the infamous “Access Hollywood” tape became known.
But on Sunday, Mrs. Trump’s first publicly revealed night in the White House, Mr. Trump again fired off a round of tweets.But on Sunday, Mrs. Trump’s first publicly revealed night in the White House, Mr. Trump again fired off a round of tweets.
Uninterested in the spotlight and meticulously careful in choosing her areas of interest, Mrs. Trump’s main concern is how her husband is doing. She remained in New York caring for Barron, 11, and taking him to school herself each day, but relying on her instincts, she advised Mr. Trump throughout his campaign. Mrs. Trump was photographed over the weekend with her hand wrapped around her husband’s as they walked across the White House grounds. It stood in contrast to the swat she gave the president as he reached for her hand on the first leg of his foreign trip, a moment that went viral. So did another moment, in April, when the first lady gently reminded the president to put his hand over his heart during the national anthem at the White House Easter egg hunt.
Uninterested in the spotlight and meticulously careful in choosing her areas of interest, Mrs. Trump’s main concern is how her husband is doing. She remained in New York caring for Barron and taking him to school herself each day, but relying on her instincts, she advised Mr. Trump throughout his campaign.
When Mr. Trump first considered saying he was exploring whether to run, it was his wife who told him that people would not take him seriously unless he actually became a candidate.When Mr. Trump first considered saying he was exploring whether to run, it was his wife who told him that people would not take him seriously unless he actually became a candidate.
And when Reince Priebus, now the White House chief of staff, told Mr. Trump to consider dropping out of the race when the offensive “Access Hollywood” tape became public, Mrs. Trump told him not to consider it for a moment.And when Reince Priebus, now the White House chief of staff, told Mr. Trump to consider dropping out of the race when the offensive “Access Hollywood” tape became public, Mrs. Trump told him not to consider it for a moment.
“She is the immovable rudder to an ever-changing sea,” Mr. Barrack said.“She is the immovable rudder to an ever-changing sea,” Mr. Barrack said.
Mrs. Trump’s other immediate worry is Barron’s privacy, which she has guarded to the exclusion of almost all else, avoiding Twitter posts and Instagram pictures documenting their lives, as many political spouses do. Kellyanne Conway, the White House counselor, said Mrs. Trump’s “intelligence, instincts and commitment to family should inspire women.” Mrs. Trump’s other immediate worry is Barron’s privacy, which she has guarded to the exclusion of almost all else, as many political spouses do. Kellyanne Conway, the White House counselor, said Mrs. Trump’s “intelligence, instincts and commitment to family should inspire women.”
Any news article about Barron has left her uncomfortable at best, friends of the family say. That included a story characterizing her son’s reaction to a violent bit of performance art by the comedian Kathy Griffin that acted out the beheading of Mr. Trump. Mrs. Trump’s statement on the matter did not refer to her son at all.Any news article about Barron has left her uncomfortable at best, friends of the family say. That included a story characterizing her son’s reaction to a violent bit of performance art by the comedian Kathy Griffin that acted out the beheading of Mr. Trump. Mrs. Trump’s statement on the matter did not refer to her son at all.
Mr. Trump and his wife spoke several times a day while she was in New York awaiting Barron’s final days of school. He sought her counsel on staff appointments, and her general reassurance as he navigated his new office and living alone for the first time in more than a decade.Mr. Trump and his wife spoke several times a day while she was in New York awaiting Barron’s final days of school. He sought her counsel on staff appointments, and her general reassurance as he navigated his new office and living alone for the first time in more than a decade.
But the transition to the role of first lady has not been easy, made trickier by her physical distance from the White House and the lack of a full complement of staff members to carry out basic functions — and with no relationship with Mrs. Obama to help guide her.But the transition to the role of first lady has not been easy, made trickier by her physical distance from the White House and the lack of a full complement of staff members to carry out basic functions — and with no relationship with Mrs. Obama to help guide her.
While Mrs. Obama and Mrs. Trump talked privately at the White House in November, two days after Mr. Trump won the election, and again on Jan. 20, there was also a profound mistrust between the women. Like Mrs. Obama, who bristled at the traditional confines of the first lady role, Mrs. Trump has quietly rebelled against some of the staples of the position.
In 2011, Mr. Trump questioned President Barack Obama’s birthplace, joining a debate about his legitimacy as president, to which Mrs. Obama took deep personal offense. And Mrs. Obama became a breakout voice for Democrats on the campaign trail in 2016 by seizing upon Mr. Trump’s lewd comments about women, which she likened to sexual assault, a painful episode for Mrs. Trump.
But like Mrs. Obama, who bristled at the traditional confines of the first lady role, Mrs. Trump has quietly rebelled against some of the staples of the position.
Until recently, she has not been a public presence at many White House events, and when she has appeared, her uninterest in being in the news was apparent. She had declined to make public comments or travel with a press pool.Until recently, she has not been a public presence at many White House events, and when she has appeared, her uninterest in being in the news was apparent. She had declined to make public comments or travel with a press pool.
But on Mr. Trump’s recent trip to the Middle East and Europe, Mrs. Trump embraced the role, maintaining her own schedule to favorable review. Even then, she rarely made unscripted remarks.But on Mr. Trump’s recent trip to the Middle East and Europe, Mrs. Trump embraced the role, maintaining her own schedule to favorable review. Even then, she rarely made unscripted remarks.