In a matter of hours, White House flips home for Trump family's move-in
Throughout history, while an incoming president raises his right hand to get sworn-in outside the Capitol, a massive makeover takes place at the White House. About 100 staffers will redecorate the home for the Trumps. It’s a move that is planned for months but is executed in just a few short hours, reports CBS News correspondent Chip Reid.
By the time the Trumps arrive at the White House tomorrow, it will be like walking into a new home designed just for them.
“They literally move all your stuff out in one day. You are living there and suddenly – it’s not all out on the South Lawn, they pack it up,” Mr. Obama said on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.”
“There is about five hours of organized chaos at the White House,” said Kate Anderson Brower, who covered presidential transitions in her book, “The Residence: Inside the Private World of the White House.”
“Resident staffers that are moving mattresses and headboard and dressers and putting framed photographs on dressers and making sure that the house is absolutely perfect for the new family,” Brower said.
While the Trumps will have free reign to redecorate the private residence and the Oval Office, much of the house will remain unchanged.
“Be true to the history of the White House, that’s basically the bottom line,” said Brad Blakeman, former deputy assistant to President George W. Bush.
“Dwight Eisenhower put in a putting green in the South Lawn, President Bush 41 put in a horse shoe pit, Barack Obama made the tennis court a basketball court. So there are certain tweaks you can do,” Blakeman added. “The history of the White House will not change.”
The move is also an emotional time for the White House staff and the first family, as Laura Bush explained to Charlie Rose.
“I’ll miss it. I mean, I’ll miss this magnificent house that we’ve had the chance to live in, the staff that work here,” she said.
It’s a similar feeling for Michelle Obama who Wednesday posted to Instagram her final walk through the White House.
“I find myself choking up because we have raised our kids in the White House,” Mrs. Obama said on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.” “We’ve had so many amazing experiences. We have a phenomenal staff. We live in a house with people who love us and care about us and, you know, we’re going to be walking away from all of that.”
The Obamas won’t be moving far. They plan on living less than two miles away while Sasha finishes high school. School will also keep Melania Trump from fully moving into the White House right away. They’re waiting for 10-year-old Barron Trump to get through this school year.
