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Since his return to the White House in January, President Donald Trump has made glaring changes to the decor around 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., including several additions that reflect his long-standing love for gold.
In the Oval Office, he has installed more flags and many more portraits of past American leaders, including several of himself. He has brought back his Diet Coke button, according to The Wall Street Journal. He has sought to remake the White House in Mar-a-Lago’s image, with gold finishings, gold decor, gold trinkets and, down the line, potentially a ballroom. He has suggested paving over the Rose Garden — which his wife infamously renovated in 2020 — to resemble the patio at his Palm Beach golf club.
The White House’s makeover appears to be getting Trump’s personal touch. First lady Melania Trump, who has proven to be as elusive a figure in her husband’s second term as many had expected, has been conspicuously absent from public discussions about the decor changes.
In fact, according to The New York Times’ recent reporting (which has not been verified by MSNBC or NBC News), Melania Trump is so rarely at the White House that the president himself has taken over some of the duties that typically fall to the first lady, including decor choices for the residence:
At the White House this time around, Mr. Trump has taken to performing some duties that typically would fall to a first lady. She’s not the one carefully selecting light fixtures for the White House residence, redesigning the Rose Garden, greeting tour groups in the East Wing or hosting receptions for Women’s History Month. He is.
Beyond a handful of public appearances, the first lady has hardly been spotted in Washington, D.C., in her husband’s second term so far. Last month, she participated in the White House Easter Egg Roll and spoke at the International Women of Courage Awards at the State Department. But she has spent fewer than 14 days altogether at the White House since her husband’s inauguration, the Times reported, citing two people with knowledge of her schedule.
The prominence of the first lady role has nevertheless afforded her some promotional opportunities: Melania Trump launched her own cryptocurrency in January, and an Amazon documentary about her life is in the works.
Clarissa-Jan Lim is a breaking/trending news blogger for MSNBC Digital. She was previously a senior reporter and editor at BuzzFeed News.
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