Incoming First Lady Melania Trump said in an interview that aired on Jan. 13 that the transition to the White House this time is different from the period following her husband’s first election victory.
The incoming first lady said that everything is already packed and she has selected the furniture that will be installed once President Joe Biden, First Lady Jill Biden, and their family vacate the White House on Jan. 20. In a space of just five hours, transition staffers will move the Bidens out and move the Trumps in.
Melania Trump said she will spend most of her time in the White House, although there will be days when she needs to be in New York City, or Palm Beach, Florida.
Barron Trump, the 19-year-old son of Melania Trump and President-elect Donald Trump who lived at the White House in the first term, will visit the White House during his father’s second term, she said. Barron Trump is preparing to take classes at New York University.
Melania Trump said that her 2024 memoir has drawn scores of responses from fans, who wanted to hear more from her. That prompted a new film project that started shooting in November 2024. The movie will show her day-to-day life, including her preparation for returning to the White House, she said.
She said on Fox that she is looking forward to being first lady again.
“I think it will be an exciting four years. We have a lot to do, to put the country back in shape,” she said.
Melania Trump is still hiring for her team. She said she plans to leave a few positions open until after the Trumps move back into the White House.
“I don’t want to hire too many people on my team and spend too much taxpayer money,” she said. “I want to make sure that [in] every position, they are talented, they have merit, they know what they are doing, and ... they are team players. They don’t have their own agenda. They’re serving me, they’re serving my office, and they’re serving the country.”
She said she would continue her “Be Best” campaign, which she started when she was first lady from 2017 through 2021. “Be Best” focuses on youth mental health, including protecting children against cyberbullying.
The incoming first lady said she has also seen a change in how people treat her.
“I feel I was always me the first time. ... I just feel that people didn’t accept me, maybe. They didn’t understand me the way maybe they do now. And I didn’t have much support,” she said. “Maybe some people see me as just a wife of the president, but I’m standing on my own two feet, independent. I have my own thoughts, I have my own ‘yes’ and ‘no.’”
Melania Trump said she does not always agree with what her husband is doing or saying and that she gives him some advice.
“Sometimes he listens, and sometimes he doesn’t, and that’s OK,” she said.
