The Daily Populous Thursday December 10th, 2020 morning edition
Authored by theweek.com and submitted by TheWeekMag

Behind the scenes, the Trumps are reportedly doing what every lame-duck first family should: packing up.

While President Trump still hasn't admitted that he'll be leaving the White House in a month, first lady Melania Trump has been quietly packing and getting ready for life at Mar-a-Lago, CNN reports. That reportedly includes divvying up where the Trumps' personal belongings will be headed, picking out her own china to leave behind, and planning her own twist on the traditional first lady memoir.

Back in April, Melania Trump brought on a special, unpaid government employee — former White House Office of Administration head Marcia Lee Kelly — who has since been helping the Trumps on their outward transition. Among the first lady's reported tasks for Kelly was asking around in the White House to find out whether she'll get any perks once she leaves the White House. The president will get some benefits, but Melania will only get a $20,000-a-year pension if he dies.

Regardless, she has still been spending her days "overseeing shipments of personal items" to Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort and Trump Tower in New York City, CNN writes. She has already picked out the patterns for the traditional china set each first lady leaves at the White House, and has reportedly hired the same interior decorator Trump had redecorate the White House residence to add a similar charm to Mar-a-Lago. But we shouldn't expect a Becoming-style memoir from this first lady; she's considering a "photo-centric coffee table book" about White House hospitality or her redesign projects, a source in the publishing industry tells CNN.

And as for the president's potential 2024 run, well, "That might not go over well" with his wife, a source told CNN. As the source put it, "she just wants to go home." Read more about the Trumps' post-White House life at CNN. Kathryn Krawczyk

Morat20 on December 9th, 2020 at 22:40 UTC »

I suspect Cohen is right, and Trump will go to Mar-a-Lago for Christmas and not come back. Biden better have the National Archives audit the White House, because I have no doubt Trump and family are walking away with "gifts" they're not legally allowed to keep (gifts for the office), or gifts they are allowed to keep but only if they pay the NA's assessed value (gifts to them personally in their capacity as President).

Kod_Rick on December 9th, 2020 at 22:14 UTC »

Can't wait to find out what presidential artifacts he stole when they miraculously appear at Mar a Lago in a few years.

Karmakazee on December 9th, 2020 at 22:11 UTC »

> Back in April, Melania Trump brought on a special, unpaid government employee — former White House Office of Administration head Marcia Lee Kelly — who has since been helping the Trumps on their outward transition. Among the first lady's reported tasks for Kelly was asking around in the White House to find out whether she'll get any perks once she leaves the White House. The president will get some benefits, but Melania will only get a $20,000-a-year pension if he dies.

Here’s hoping she ends up scrounging to make ends meet on $1667 a month when all is said and done.