With the country divided after the elections, so too will the first family be split come inauguration day on January 20.
Melania Trump and Barron Trump will not move to the White House in the new year, choosing instead to stay at Trump Tower so the 10-year-old can finish the school year, the New York Post reported.
Melania will travel to Washington DC when necessary, and Donald Trump himself is expected to spend much of his time as president at his own three-story penthouse apartment in midtown Manhattan.
Melania has decided to stay put in the interests of her only son, with sources telling the Post: ‘The campaign has been difficult for Barron, and she is really hoping to keep disruption to a minimum.’
Melania, who is sometimes spotted picking up her son from school, told People magazine in the spring that with Trump on the road, she has spent a lot of time with Barron because he ‘needs somebody as a parent’.
The 10-year-old will complete the school year at Columbia Grammar & Preparatory School on the Upper West Side of New York City, where tuition starts at $44,120 for those enrolling in pre-K.
While it is possible they will eventually settle into the White House once the school year is over, no plans have been set for that to happen, the Post reported.
Trump himself was reportedly shocked when he won the election, and moving to the White House may be an adjustment after nearly 30 years of living in Trump Tower.
Their three-story penthouse apartment, decked in 24-karat gold and marble, was said to be nicer than the White House, according to his ex-wife Ivana Trump, with whom he had three children Donald Jr, Ivanka, and Eric Trump.
The New York Police Department has been working with the Secret Service to instill security measures around the building on Fifth Avenue, which attracted the ire of protesters in the days following the election.
Armed security forces have been posted outside the building, but it remains unclear how long that will be necessary since Trump’s concrete plans have not been announced.
With barricades, truck diversions, bag checks for pedestrians, traffic in the area has become a problem and businesses in the area have suffered after New York City’s mayor advised people to steer clear.
Even garbage trucks have not been allowed through the area, and bags of trash piled up on the sidewalks.
