The Truth About Donald And Melania Trump's Post-Presidency Life
Oh, the Trump administration — marked by scandals, protests, controversial policies, and painfully awkward caught-on-camera moments. Donald Trump made quite the name for himself as the 45th president of the United States, and he defied a lot of the expectations that the public had about the position. He communicated directly with people through his (now suspended) Twitter account, he had a button on his desk he pushed when he needed a fresh Diet Coke, he became the first president to be impeached twice, and he never seemed to grasp that his ties were too long.
Donald challenged a lot of people — in the general public and in politics — and left under the dark cloud of the January 6 insurrection at the Capitol. The cameras largely left his side, the crowds dissipated, and he made his way from Washington, D.C. to Florida, skipping the inauguration of his successor, Joe Biden.
So with all that being said, what on earth is Donald Trump's life away from politics going to look like? What is his wife, Melania Trump, going to do with her time now that she is no longer first lady? Settle in because here is the truth about Donald and Melania Trump's post-presidency life.
Melania Trump may keep her distance from the public eye
A lot of presidents and first ladies remove themselves from the public eye in the immediate aftermath of their time in Washington, but Melania Trump might not ever return to the spotlight. As noted by Express, the former first lady apparently has no interest in returning to public life, and a "society publicist," R. Couri Hay, implied that she shouldn't. "Melania will disappear," he said. "There's not going to be any Instagram posts or Twitter posts, you're not going to see it."
So why the sudden shift? After all, Melania has not shied away from the spotlight, the cameras, or the magazine covers throughout her career. According to Hay, she will be busy focusing on her new life as a "homemaker." Ok.
Of course, Melania kept a low profile in her last days in the White House, presumably in part because of the insurrection at the Capitol. She also left the White House with one of the lowest approval ratings in modern first lady history. As noted by CNN, she had up to a 47 percent unfavorable rating, a significantly higher number than the average percentage for first ladies, 23 percent. Looks like we won't be seeing her any time soon.
Donald Trump will face an impeachment trial in the Senate
Donald Trump made history as president by being the only occupant of the Oval Office to be impeached twice. And even though he has left office, he will be facing an impeachment trial in his post-presidency life.
As noted by AP News, House Democrats delivered the articles of impeachment to the Senate on Jan. 25, 2021, charging the former president with "incitement of insurrection" — the articles of impeachment were drafted shortly after the violence at the Capitol building took place on January 6, with many Democrats pointing to Trump's speech prior to the attack as a motivator to those in attendance. Representative Jamie Raskin, the leading prosecutor in the House, "stood before the Senate ... to read the House resolution charging 'high crimes and misdemeanors.'"
As reported by AP, Donald's trial in the Senate will begin on Feb. 8, 2021, and will be a real test for Republican party members to either disavow Trump or support him. President Joe Biden weighed in on the impeachment trial, telling CNN that the trial "has to happen" and that "a worse effect" would be a guarantee if it didn't. Time will tell what happens.
Melania Trump kicked off her husband's post-presidency life in perhaps her best snub to date
Melania Trump has had some awkward moments caught on camera, many of them showing her swatting her husband's hand away (we'll miss those moments a little). But she saved her best snub for last, because, as she departed the plane that brought her and Donald Trump to Florida after leaving Washington, D.C., she left Donald by himself to face the cameras and quickly strutted away from him. It was quite the moment.
Political group The Lincoln Project wrote on Twitter that "if 'I'm over it' were a person," and included the video of Melania exiting the camera's scope as quickly as she could. The sentiment definitely appears that way.
But as noted by The Guardian, Melania's "over it" walk could be an indication that her marriage is in for a rough patch. We're not sure what will happen to Melania and Donald's marriage in his life post-presidency, but if this video is any indication, it looks like Melania will be marching to the beat of her own drum and certainly won't be waiting for Donald to join her.
Donald Trump will try to carry on the policies of his administration with his post-presidency office
Leave it to Donald Trump to try to replicate his presidential position when he's no longer president. As noted by Business Insider, he opened his "Office of the Former President" in the days that followed his departure from the White House and sent out a statement to members of the press (maybe because he's banned from a lot of social media platforms).
"Today, the 45th President of the United States, Donald J. Trump, formally opened the Office of the Former President," the statement read, which can be seen on Twitter. "The Office will be responsible for managing President Trump's correspondence, public statements, appearances, and official activities to advance the interests of the United States and to carry on the agenda of the Trump Administration through advocacy, organizing, and public activism."
Of course, Donald no longer has the power of the White House behind him, so it's hard to say exactly what he'll get done through his new office. And considering that he had a near 58 percent disapproval rating, we can't imagine that a lot of people are going to want to see him in the public eye soon.
Some people aren't thrilled the Trumps chose Florida as his new home base
There was speculation as to where Donald and Melania Trump would relocate. Manhattan seemed out of the question, so the couple settled on the Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. But for some locals, the decision isn't sitting super well.
"The president will unfortunately encounter both love and hate when he returns to Florida tomorrow," Karen Giorno, who served as a senior adviser to Trump during his 2016 campaign in Florida, said to the Miami Herald. And he isn't the only Trump that is joining the Florida area. As reported by the Herald, Donald's daughter Ivanka Trump and her husband, Jared Kushner, purchased a lot on Florida's Indian Creek island. So it looks like Florida is going to have to put up with the Trumps for a while.
"We just want to give him a big homecoming and let him know he has family and friends here in the Republican Party in Palm Beach County who supported him through his presidency and two presidential campaigns," Michael Barnett, the Republican Party of Palm Beach County chairman, said. "We'd rather have him in Washington, but we're very happy to have him home, too."
Donald and Melania Trump will have secret service protection indefinitely
All presidents and first ladies have lifelong Secret Service protection after leaving the White House, and that is a reality that Donald and Melania Trump will have to deal with in their post-presidency life. But of course, he wouldn't be The Donald if drama wasn't involved, and, as noted by The Washington Post, the former president tried to expand the role of the Secret Service in his life and in his children's lives.
Three sources briefed on Donald's directive told The Post that Donald wanted "Secret Service protection to his four adult children and two of their spouses, who were not automatically entitled to receive it." In addition, Donald also arranged for three officials from his White House — Steven Mnuchin, Mark Meadows, and Robert C. O'Brien — to receive Secret Service protection for six months.
Why is this a big deal? Well, as The Post noted, Donald, Melania, and their son Barron are the only people from the Trump White House who are entitled to Secret Service protection — even Barron's protection will cease after he turns 16.
Donald Trump is likely to face legal battles in his post-presidency life
While in office, Donald Trump enjoyed immunity from legal cases. But now that he has left the White House, he no longer has such protections, and his post-presidency life could see a lot of legal battles. As noted by The Guardian, "Prosecutors in at least three jurisdictions are either weighing or actively pursuing criminal cases against him, and a fourth prosecutor is investigating allegedly fraudulent business practices inside the Trump Organization." Yikes.
Here are some details you need to know. The New York state attorney general, Letitia James, has been conducting a civil investigation into the Trump Organization. The Manhattan district attorney, Cyrus Vance, said that his office has been engaging in a "complex criminal investigation" into Donald's businesses. And to top it off, Donald is facing a defamation lawsuit filed by E Jean Carroll, a writer who alleged that he raped her in the 1990s. Donald's defense in the last example? Carroll is "not [his] type," as he said during an interview in 2019. We'll see what happens.
Melania Trump will likely focus on plans for the Trump library
While Melania Trump retreats from the public eye in the aftermath of her husband's presidency, it is likely that she will start focusing on plans for his presidential library, according to The Washington Post. The Post reported that Melania is "expected to be involved in the site selection, planning and design of the Trump presidential library, which probably will be located in Florida."
Seems simple enough, right? Wrong. Because Donald Trump's daughter Ivanka has reportedly made it known that she wants a hand in the library planning. It's rumored that Melania and Ivanka have not gotten along well (remember Melania's eye roll at the RNC?) so it seems like the two might not have the same ideas for the Trump library.
"The library location has not even been scouted yet, but Ivanka has made her interest clear," a source told The Post. "As usual, Melania will have to contend with the other family members." Tension may be brewing.
Donald Trump's post-presidency business prospects don't look too good
One of the aspects of Donald Trump that his supporters clung to fairly early on was his career as a businessman — who could run the country better than someone who has run lucrative properties? Well, Donald is in for a different kind of business reality in his post-presidency life, and it's not for the better.
As noted by The New York Times, a financial disclosure report showed that his businesses "suffered steep declines in revenue" in part due to the coronavirus pandemic. The report concluded that his Miami-located golf course lost 40 percent of its revenue and his Washington, D.C. hotel lost 63 percent of its revenue — all totaled, the Trump Organization suffered a 38 percent decline from the previous year's income.
To top off an already precarious financial situation, Donald is having to deal with the fact that some of his hotels are decreasing in popularity. The Times reported that his properties in largely democratic cities like Chicago and New York are really suffering. On the other hand, his property in North Carolina is doing just fine. So time will tell if the Trump Organization can make a financial comeback.
Donald Trump will still receive a yearly budget from the government
Former presidents are granted a certain amount of money and benefits after leaving the White House, and as such, Donald Trump will be granted money to maintain his office and personal life.
As noted by Forbes, the United States government assists former presidents in their establishment as private citizens and grants them $150,000 a year to maintain their office staff. The government also pays for "suitable office space" for each former commander-in-chief. After 30 months out of office, the staffing budget decreases to $96,000 a year, as per the Former Presidents Act. As per reporting from Politico, there are three former White House staff members who are staying on with Donald, Molly Michael and Beau Harrison, who both serve as assistants, and Margo Martin, who serves as a press aide.
Former presidents are also the recipients of a pension — $220,000 every year for the rest of their lives — so Donald will be able to sit comfortably with these post-presidency benefits.
Many businesses are rebranding to separate themselves from Donald Trump
While Donald Trump will have some perks in his post-presidency life, he'll be facing some challenges that will bruise his ego. As noted by The Palm Beach Post, he is starting to experience some business setbacks, most notably regarding the situation coming out of his West Palm Beach condominium building. As a result of his tumultuous presidency, and specifically the January 6 insurrection at the Capitol, the condo's board unanimously decided to remove the Trump name from the building.
The board convened on Jan. 19, 2021, Donald's last day in office, and voted to not only remove the former president's name, but to choose an entirely new name for the building, where condos can sell for as much as $4 million. It's not the first time that this particular board has tried to distance itself from Donald, and other Trump-owned buildings have also removed visual ties to the former president. As The Palm Beach Post reported, the violence at the Capitol was the "last straw," and both the condo's name and legal documents will mark the removal of the Trump name.
Donald Trump most likely won't be included in the presidents club any time soon
When the former presidents all get together, it's really a sight. As noted by NBC News, the living former presidents — Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama — get together for photos, historical events, and funerals, and they rarely say anything bad about the other.
This is probably not a club that Donald Trump will be joining any time soon in his post-presidency life, and from the looks of it, the former presidents would rather him not join. "He kind of laughed at the very notion that he would be accepted in the presidents club," Kate Andersen Brower, who wrote the book Team of Five: The Presidents' Club in the Age of Trump, said. "He was like, 'I don't think I'll be accepted.'"
He's likely right. During the inauguration of Joe Biden, Clinton, Bush, and Obama filmed a video about political unity. There were two notable absences — Carter, who was too frail to travel (he is in his 90s, after all), and Donald. The former presidents spoke about togetherness, a tone that was striking in comparison to the rhetoric from Donald's time in office. We'll see if he ever becomes a member of the club.
Melania Trump will have fewer restrictions in Florida
Melania Trump was an interesting first lady. Unlike some of her predecessors, she did not take on the role with immense enthusiasm, and she left the role pretty quickly. A source told The Washington Post, "She is not the type to wander around the rooms of the White House in deep reflection of what happened, of what could have been. She is Melania — she keeps the focus on what's next." And unlike Donald Trump, who was enraged over the 2020 election and the loss of the White House, Melania was "good" with it all.
So what is next for her? Well, The Post reported that she has been informed that she will face far fewer restrictions in her daily life than when she was first lady, and she will have a "freer hand" to do what she pleases. Sounds great. The Post also reported that Melania is set on continuing her "Be Best" campaign and to "continue all the work she did for children." Her Florida life could also consist of more family time, as her parents are relocating to Palm Beach, Fla., too.
How Donald Trump's favorite pastime was impacted by his presidency
Donald Trump was spotted many times on the green while commander-in-chief, and from what we can tell, intends to keep up the hobby. But his love of golf and his businesses surrounding the sport be changing in his post-presidency life.
As noted by AP News, the PGA of America severed its connection to Donald and voted to relocate the PGA Championship that was to be held at his New Jersey golf course after the insurrection at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. "We find ourselves in a political situation not of our making," Seth Waugh, the CEO of the PGA, told AP, adding, "The damage could have been irreparable. The only real course of action was to leave."
While we doubt Donald Trump would give up golfing, this whole ordeal may make the game a little less fun for him in the future.