'She just wants to go home': Melania Trump is stuck in the White House

As President Donald Trump clings on to his first and only Presidential term as it quickly comes to an end, there is one person who cannot wait to leave: first lady Melania Trump. A source close to her has claimed that she just wants to go home and put the past four years behind her, CNN reports. Trump does not have much to look forward to as a former first lady, as the benefits of having filled this role are scant. Moreover, she still has to ensure a smooth transition out of Washington for herself and her 14-year-old-son Barron Trump.

Reportedly, though President Trump is yet to concede, his wife is already shipping personal items to Mar-a-Lago from both the White House and her Trump Tower penthouse in New York City, a source at the resort confirmed. "She just wants to go home," another individual close to the first lady stated, adding that things "might not go over well" if her husband were to announce a bid for Presidency in the year 2024. Despite her eagerness to leave, she is still fulfilling her responsibilities at the White House to the best of her abilities.

The first lady's chief of staff Stephanie Grisham explained in an interview with CNN, "Mrs. Trump is focused on her role as first lady. Monday she unveiled her most current effort in preserving the White House by announcing the completion of the tennis pavilion. She also recently unveiled a new piece of art in the newly renovated Rose Garden. Her office just revealed this year's Christmas décor. Her schedule remains full with her duties as a mother, wife, and first lady of the United States." Melania is definitely busy with her role as a mother.

Tham Kannalikham, the interior decorator she hired in 2017 to redesign the White House executive residence's personal quarters when the family moved in has been quite busy for the last several weeks with modifications to the Trump "home" at Mar-a-Lago. The site will now be the family's permanent residence. Laurence Leamer, author of Mar-a-Lago: Inside the Gates of Power at Donald Trump's Presidential Palace, believes it will become "confining very quickly." She said, "It will be the weirdest thing. It will feel like staying full-time at a nice hotel. It's fine for a bit, sure, but can you imagine Donald Trump just sitting around there for six months of the year?"

Nonetheless, Melania has made some inquiries about funds for an office and staff. This could indicate that she is thinking of establishing an official office after the White House, as first ladies typically do, in order to continue the initiatives she began when she entered the White House. While one source confirmed that she is mulling over the idea of keeping up her "Be Best" platform aimed at helping children, another said that there were no plans set in stone just yet. No matter what her future plans may be, she can probably not count on any help from the White House. Though former Presidents do receive some perks as parting gifts, the first lady is pretty much on her own. She is set to receive some funds to set up an official office and staff and cover some travel costs, but that is pretty much it, apart from a paltry $20,000-a-year pension, which is paid out only if her husband dies. As she plans her exit, the first lady is now focusing on designing the official Trump china, which will soon be part of the White House's official collection.