It’s the question on no one’s lips this month: where will Donald Trump go once he’s dragged kicking and screaming out of the White House on January 20th? That orange bitch refuses to concede, but it’s no secret that Donald and Melania are already preparing for the post-presidency. Last year, they formally changed their residence from New York to Florida, almost as if they thought fleeing New York officially would help them escape from being prosecuted in the state of NY. So… will they stay in Florida permanently now?
When Donald Trump leaves the White House on Jan. 20, he will likely head to his Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Florida. That’s where he and First Lady Melania Trump filed their “declaration of domicile” last year, switching their permanent residences from New York City. The White House is, of course, staying mum about his post-presidency plans, at least publicly, while he continues to make baseless allegations of fraud in the election he lost.
Privately, however, aides acknowledge they’re all on their way out. And the staff at Mar-a-Lago have been preparing the way, including renovating Trump’s 2,000-square-foot residence at the club, which he purchased in the ’80s.
“Donald’s apartment, which once belonged to Mar-a-Lago estate creator Marjorie Merriweather Post, will be expanded and spruced up,” a source close to the president tells PEOPLE. “They are definitely renovating his apartment within the Mar-a-Lago Club to make it larger, more modern and comfortable for his use,” this source says. (Sources have told PEOPLE he and the first lady have separate bedrooms in their Mar-a-Lago lodgings.)
Some of those around Trump, 74, say he and the first family are expected to spend significant time in Palm Beach while dividing the remaining time between other properties — such as his club in Bedminster, New Jersey, and Trump Tower in New York City. But Mar-a-Lago is likely to be the centerpiece of any plans, in part because of how warmly received the Trumps are in the area compared to elsewhere in the country. It is also a favored retreat of the first lady, 50.
“He wouldn’t want to be in Palm Beach in the dead of summer, but he doesn’t have to be so it can work out well,” a Mar-a-Lago Club member tells PEOPLE. “He loves Palm Beach and his friends here. And his golf club is minutes away in West Palm Beach.”
The club apartment for Mrs. Trump’s parents — who have remained close at hand in Washington, D.C. — is also undergoing renovation in anticipation of their relocation while the president and first lady’s 14-year-old son, Barron Trump, attends school in Florida, PEOPLE understands. Though the first lady’s parents had typically been holiday guests at the club, it is expected they will be in Palm Beach for large chunks of time to help raise their grandson.
“Melania is checking out a good Florida school for Barron,” another source close to the family tells PEOPLE. “They have looked all over Palm Beach County and neighboring Broward County for just the right place. There are several options, and they will decide soon.”
Yeah, the biggest indication of a permanent move to Florida is that Melania is looking at schools for Barron, and Mel’s parents are getting their apartment renovated. All of that is also a good indicator of the fact that Melania isn’t actually going to divorce him, which is what I’ve been saying for a while too. She’s in it for the long-haul, and she wants to be his widow and main heir. Plus, she obviously keeps up separate residences and suites from her husband, so it’s not like she actually has to spend much time with him at all. Anyway, it’s still funny to me that Donald Trump is acting like such a gigantic suckbaby loser. Laugh, laugh at the sad maga clown.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid.
Yeah she’s not going anywhere. She’ll be able to spend even less time with him as she won’t have to maintain the farce of being the FLOTUS.
Barron doesn’t attend school in FL. He goes to St. Andrews in Potomac MD. He lives with his mother & grandparents. Now they may leave once the new semester rolls around but Melania could always stay, just like she did in NYC, prior to joining the orange fraud
The article states that they’re looking for a new school in Florida for him. Yeah, he’s at St. Andrew’s now but I’m sure will not go back after holidays. In fact he maybe remote anyway and stay that way until school year ends in June. Feel bad for that kid, but he’ll probably be sucked into the trump vortex of grift after college.
I think part of why she was so pissed he won in 2016 was that she would have live with him. This story says they have separate bedrooms but I imagine its more like separate suites and they can go days without seeing each other. So in her view, why not stay married and just keep on living her life like she was before?
She doesn’t live in the White House. She lives in Maryland with her parents and Barron.
I’ve wondered about that LightPurple – they all got sick with COVID at the same time, so they must have been spending _some_ time together…?
I’ve heard that rumor but have never seen it confirmed. I know her parents live in Maryland.
I think also she knew the orange one was up to questionable deeds and being president would shine a light on the crime family she married into. She just wants to be a lady who lunches. The best thing from Ivanka ever was her nickname for her stepmother; The Portrait. No way she wanted to be a First Lady, she hates getting all the hate, she wants to be admired at country clubs and hang out with Barron and her parents who probably spend little time with the orange one. I am very curious about what Barron will do with his life, I feel a bit sorry for him, he doesn’t look like a happy child.
I just want to know what the heck she does all day. Clearly, she is not doing much FLOTUS wise. You hear nothing about her “Be Best” initiative. Her son is a teenager, and I would not need her 24/7. I could not stand getting all dressed up with no place to go!
Hopefully she’s not helping him with his English homework.
I remember reading that when they lived in NYC she mainly exercised, got herself groomed and flipped through fashion magazines. I’m serious. Unsurprisingly, she and Doofus were never into the NYC charity or art circuit like most wealthy Manhattanites. They were just too self involved and incurious about anything other than themselves.
What does she do all day? “The Art of Her Deal” biography had some info given by the (former?) house staff: Melania takes her son to school, goes to lunch with (former?) girlfriend, exercises, gets spray tans (impossible to remove from her white bathroom walls apparently), browse Internet and spends time with her parents and sister. For most American wives married to wealthy men and running some kind of charity or a business, this sounds like no life, but not everyone wants to be productive. Some just want to luxuriate in their private home spa (which will have to remain in their Manhattan penthouse I guess) and enjoy a life of leisure. At least Melania never pretended to have any First Lady ambitions, so I’m sure she’ll just go back to her previous life like these past four years never happened.
Sometimes I get a little jealous. I know I’d get bored of it after like 2 weeks (maybe a month, we’re all extra stressed right now haha), but man it sounds nice to just chill all the time.
@Chicago yes that’s what she does with her life. Stephanie Wolkoff pretty much said the same thing in her book. They meet occasionally for lunch but Mel is usually at a spa or lounging around.
I don’t understand how any of them plan on staying in the US. I’ve been picturing them fleeing somewhere like Russia or Saudi Arabia. They all have a buttload of charges waiting for them. How could they possibly carry on when there are warrants?
If we’re stuck with them and they aren’t in a prison cell Florida is the only place that makes sense. DeSantis and Rubio can take turns changing trumps diapers.
Which would be even more ideal for a Melania. I don’t think she is at risk for legal actions. So as Donald and his three older kids head for non-extraditing foreign climes, Melania and her parents and her son can just enjoy living far far away from Donald without moving an inch.
Melania is part of the investigation into the misuse of inauguration funds. They tried to pin it on her friend.
I don’t know how much Mel did for the inauguration. Stephanie Wolkoff wrote she mainly worked with Gates and Tom Barrack plus some RNC people (yes Reince too). Based on Wolkoff’s book, Mel was sort of removed from it all. Ivanka was knee deep in it, not surprisingly. The inauguration is more Diaper Don’s show than Mel’s. They don’t have anything on her expect she sold her friend down the river.
Trump can’t stand spending the night away from his usual residents or approved properties. He’s a dotty, old, racist who’s VERY set in his ways. Go live in a foreign country where they don’t even speak english? Absolutely not.
Molly, I have the same feeling.
Florida: where creeps, convicts, and fugitives go to live in peace.
And retired racist, southern seniors looking for warmer weather.
Not all Floridians are like that. I don’t think it’s fair to put all of us in the same egg basket, and I’m a Canadian-born living with her Floridian husband.
Lots of peop,e in our entourage did not vote for Trump nor like him to begin with.
People’s usual butt-kissing tone is even more obnoxious here, trying to normalize these despicable people.
Who is paying for all these renovations? The Trumps? The Trump business? The Trump campaign? The Trump recount litigation fund? Or the taxpayers?
Good point! Who is paying the renovations?
Maybe nobody! I hope the workers got cash up front.
Where else would his PAC money be going??
Can’t escape the long arm of NY State.
As for Miss “fkkkus Crissmassss”, she will divorce him and move on. The kid is getting older so she’ll move him somewhere else.
There’s a Palm Beach in Russia?
To get out of NY taxes, Trump has to prove that he has a permanent residence in another state. According to the zoning laws that Trump hammered out at time of purchase, no one is allowed to live at Mar-a-Lago for more than three non-consecutive seven day periods – such a dealmaker! So the whole lot of them are homeless if they are law-abiding. Which of course, they are not. Laws are for little people.
Which makes them all voting in Florida based on that residency pretty suspect.
I imagine it went like this.
“When my term is up, I’m going to pardon myself and Ivanka.”
“OK, but that won’t apply to the state of NY charges-”
“Then I’ll move to Florida!”
I think Melania stays married until the sh!t really starts to hit the fan, and if assets get seized (please of please). But I don’t see her moving to Florida with him, I bet she tries to sneak back to NYC.
Yeah I think she’ll stay until the grifting money is gone. Once that is gone, so is she.
I imagine part of their prenuptial agreement is that she stays married to him long enough to avoid testifying against him under spousal privilege.
Let’s see how long Melania stands by her man when NY State indicts her bloated orange husband. Wouldn’t it be better if she divorce him and settled with him before the courts freeze his assets?
I’m sure ALL of the liquid cash money assets she got pre/post/renogitiated nups have cleared in offshore/foreign accounts, just waiting for her. She didn’t get those gold kneepads for nothin’ honey! Any of the real estate is tied up in trusts, LLCs and the such, I’m sure.
Didn’t OJ move to Florida because California couldn’t go after his earnings there to pay off the judgments against him? Could they be moving there for the same reason?
He was looking for the real killer.
There are several reasons why Florida would be attractive for them. He’s pulling an OJ- in Florida your homestead property can’t be seized to pay for any judgments against him. Second, I’m guessing when they renegotiated their prenup he made it attractive monetarily to stay married to him. With spousal privilege she can’t be forced to testify against him.
Does Trump really have any assets? I read somewhere that he owes Deutsche Bank hundreds of millions of dollars, along with his various other debts… Melania won’t be able to afford to be a lady who lunches once all of Trump’s schemes are exposed.
Almost $450M to be exact. And we don’t know HOW much he owes China, personally.
I would imagine most, if not all, of his various properties are either heavily mortgaged or in debt to someone, and I’d on a good number of them, his actual ownership percentage is pretty small.
Who cares?
I just read the other day that he cannot live at Mar a Lago full time. It’s in the agreement he made with the town of Palm Beach when he turned it into a private club.
https://www.yahoo.com/now/trump-maralago-permanent-residence-after-he-leaves-office-175100408.html
When has the Moldy Orange let a PIDDLY LAW get in his way? Wouldn’t doubt he’d get DeSantis to overturn/invalidate it on a “pardon” or exemption of sorts.
Maybe she’s figuring that between the bloat, the unhealthy way he treats his body and the after-effects of Covid, he won’t last too many more years. She wants to stick around to make sure that the grifter kids don’t cut Barron out of whatever is left to divvy up after that.
In my opinion, she would be a fool to divorce him. Trump doesn’t look like he is in great health, despite what he says (it is stressful having a HUGE ego), and she would be fully taken care of being the widow of a former President, like Nancy Regan was.
I’d bet she, unfortunately, has a pretty decent chance of improving her image after he dies too.
The ‘normal’ Republicans and the MAGAs love the crap out of her just because she’s not Michelle Obama.
Personally I don’t think any of them had COVID – publicity stunt
When he stays at his own properties, does he still get to force Secret Service to rent apartments from him at exorbitant rates? This alone can maintain his lifestyle for a time. So much for publicly refusing the presidential salary (which I believe he always took anyway) when tax dollars can be used to generate millions for his filthy grifting ways.
He needs to be stripped of that as soon as he leaves office.
Here’s a likely theoretical situation: What if SDNY presses criminal charges against him, takes him to trial and he loses and must go to jail, but he runs off to Florida to escape prison? I can’t see Florida extraditing him so will the Federal Government take away his Secret Service protection under those circumstances?
There was an article in either the NY Times or Washington Post, I think, about how Drumpf got a special deal ($$$) from the local government because he WASN’T going to be using Mar A Lago as his residence….a lie of course, which he is about to double down on to evade SDNY.
Curious to see whether the local government reexamines their original arrangement.
I’m sure they will. Think presidential library location ( and yes, that’s an oxymoron in this case if ever there was one!)
lol, as if Melania will be hanging around.
Nooooooo!! Don’t freakin come here!!
I’m a native Floridian and I have voted for every Democrat since Bill Clinton. Please don’t judge us all together. I hope he lands in the New York penal society. You never hear much from Marla Maples and Tiffany. Wasn’t Mara–logo named after Marla? Just curious.. Just heard that Rudy has contracted the coronavirus. I guess that he’s been spending too much time, in too many court rooms. Trump is the most disgusting man that I have ever seen in politics, or any other area. I can’t understand the ignorance of people who are cheering him on, and sending him millions. I thought Americans had a bit more intelligence than that, but I was wrong.