Melania Trump is gearing up for four more years as First Lady and all the duties that come with that title, including decorating the White House for Christmas.
The former model wife of President-elect Donald Trump, 54, previously made headlines this holiday season for her bold choice of Christmas decor — and for leaked audio recordings of her ranting about the responsibility of decorating 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
“I’m working on… Christmas stuff, you know, who cares about Christmas stuff and decorations?” he was heard saying in a 2018 recording that recently resurfaced on social media. “But I have to do it, don’t I?”
Years have passed since her White House vacation controversy, and a mix of Melania’s friends, political sources and members of the Mar-a-Lago Club tell PEOPLE that when she resumes her role as first lady, Americans can expect her to step up and continue with White House traditions as expected, regardless of her personal feelings.
But as usual, her son Barron’s needs will take precedence.
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“Melania will do what is asked of her as first lady, but on her own terms, and that includes decorating the White House for the Christmas holidays,” a Palm Beach socialite told PEOPLE. “She will set her own schedule, make her own rules and use her own tastes. She will do what she wants with Barron’s needs first.”
“Will her attitude this term be different than before?” adds the source. – I doubt it.
White House Christmas decorations in 2018.
AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster
Businesswoman Robin Bernstein, who is a friend of Melania’s, agrees that 18-year-old Barron’s needs will determine the amount of time she spends decorating for the holidays.
“Melania has exquisite taste and will make the White House beautiful and magical,” said Berstein, a former ambassador to the Dominican Republic under President Trump. “But she has to keep an eye on Barron, and that time will affect how much time she spends on various parts of the project.”
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Bernstein adds: “You can take one look at Melania and see how meticulous she is about her appearance. He agrees that Christmas is a magical time of the year that he certainly enters and will continue to enter. She herself has a magical style and that will be carried over to the decoration of the White House. I think she’ll spend the time she needs to make it look perfect.”
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Melania Trump and her son Barron Trump in November 2024.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty
Another social media source believes Melania would rather spend time at Mar-a-Lago or Trump Tower – where Barron lives while attending New York University – than in the White House as first lady. But duty will tempt you at certain times of the year.
“Seasonal fun in the sun is more her style, but like any other first lady she will have duties and [decorating] is one she likes,” a socialite source tells PEOPLE.
“This term, without her [late mother Amalija Knavs]she will try to create her own tradition and we might all be surprised. She’s got Barron with her, and since he’s closer to Washington than holed up in Palm Beach, he’ll probably spend more time and take more genuine interest in the White House Christmas decorations.”
The source added: “This doesn’t mean she’s crazy, it just means she’s going to do what she has to do. And that’s nothing new.”
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First Lady Melania Trump receives the White House Christmas tree on November 23, 2020. Sarah Silbiger/Bloomberg via Getty
A political source agrees with Bernstein that Melania is smart and creative and can put together something great for the White House holiday season.
“She’s talented and can pull off a beautiful White House vacation scene even if she’s tackling it as just another duty,” a political source tells PEOPLE. “He will have more time this year. She has an older son, she has to live alone without her mother, and she could be a lot closer to the White House this term because Baron is in New York in the weeks leading up to the holiday season.”
Still, the source predicted that while Melania has taste, she might rely on her staff to “carry out” ideas, saying, “Don’t forget Melania is her own person and she’ll give her as much time as she thinks she needs. No more, no less. ”
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As for whether Melania spends the actual holiday season in the White House — when the first lady traditionally hosts a series of receptions and parties — that remains to be seen. However, according to a social source, it is “unlikely” that he will treat the White House as his main home.
“She will have her own private apartment there, and she also has her home in New York and her home at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach,” a source previously told PEOPLE. “She’s going to spend time in all these places.”
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education