For over a month now, Donald Trump has maintained that he’s the real winner of the 2020 presidential election despite all evidence to the contrary including repeated losses in court. As recently as Tuesday, Trump used his “vaccine summit” to falsely claim that the American people rewarded his campaign with a victory and rail against the Supreme Court for not having “the courage to do what everybody in this country knows is right.” However, behind the scenes, a different story is unfolding. First Lady Melania Trump has been quietly preparing to move to the couple’s possessions to their residences in Florida and New York.
“She just wants to go home,” a source tells CNN who reports that Melania’s top staff member Marcia Kelly has already explored options to see what taxpayer funds are specifically available for the First Lady during the transition:
Kelly had previously run the White House Office of Administration and after it became clear Trump would need to prep for her life after Washington the first lady told Kelly to discreetly ask West Wing acquaintances and a member of the Office of Management and Budget whether there were taxpayer funds allocated to former first ladies, according to two sources familiar with the discussions.
The short answer is no. While there are post-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.
Despite the lack of funds, CNN reports that Melania is still working diligently on getting the heck out of Dodge, and “there is currently ongoing inventory being taken at the White House of the Trump’s own furniture and art and personal items.”
(Via CNN)