Melania Trump blamed the Obamas for denying her family “critical” early access to the White House in 2016, claiming “protocols and politics” disrupted their move.
The former First Lady delved into the transition period of moving from New York to Washington DC in her recently released memoir: Melania.
In the 256-page book, she reflected on the family moving into the White House before Donald Trump’s presidency began in 2017, claiming that the outgoing president, Barack, denied her a “customary” tradition that most new First Families received.
“Unfortunately, my plans to begin preparation for the residency before the inauguration were disrupted by protocols and politics,” Melania stated.
The 54-year-old said it was “common” for the incoming First Family to begin the moving process when the outgoing one leaves for the holidays in December.
Melania Trump blamed the Obamas for denying the first family “crucial” early access to the White House in 2016, claiming “protocols and politics” disrupted their move
“I understand the importance of following tradition in this way,” she assured readers.
“Unfortunately, our team was not granted the access we requested to visit the White House residence in December.”
“Despite contacting Obama’s team and asking for a convenient time for our visit, we received no response for weeks,” claimed the former model, who lived in the White House from 2017 to 2021.
Melania added that she spent weeks researching schools where she could send her then-10-year-old son, Barron, as they prepared to move to DC.
She added that this meant making arrangements to ensure that the White House felt like a “comfortable and hospitable home” to their family.
“While the logistics of moving can be challenging, my priority has been to create a sense of stability and familiarity for Barron during this transition,” she wrote.
“I was committed to making sure he had a smooth and positive experience.”
Melania claimed that when she received the information to gain early access to the White House, it was “full of errors.”
She said it was “common” for the incoming First Family to begin the moving process when the outgoing one leaves for the holidays in December. Pictured are Barack and Michelle in 2015
Melania (pictured with Donald, left) added that she spent weeks researching schools to send son Barron, then 10, to as they prepared to move to D.C. and planned to redo his room aim.
“This slowed down the planning process and I wasn’t able to start the renovation until after the inauguration, when we were already in the White House,” she said.
She continues, writing, “Those three weeks would have been crucial for taking measurements, gathering plans and starting preparations.”
Donald’s third wife explained that they had decided to initially focus on redecorating a dozen rooms in the private home, with Barron’s room being a “priority.”
“The existing style was outdated or not to my taste,” she said. “Barron’s room was a priority. He was the first young boy to live in the White House since John Kennedy Jr., and the children’s rooms had been set up for girls for sixty years, so it was important to create a space that suited Barron’s interests.”
There are two editions of Melania available for purchase: a $150 collector’s edition with 256 full-color pages, with each copy signed by the author.
The memoir edition will be 304 pages and available for $40, while signed copies will be available for $75.
Melania was released by Skyhorse Publishing, which has published Trump supporters such as former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani and attorney Alan Dershowitz.