Melania Trump has already been known to break from tradition by foregoing some customs that her predecessors took on. As the now-former first lady has left the White House, it is revealed that her thank yous to the White House staff were reportedly not as personal.
People familiar with the matter revealed that Mrs. Trump did not personally write her thank you notes to the White House residence staff who have taken care of her family. The 80 or so White House residence staff members received typewritten cards under the impression that Melania wrote them herself. However, the sources revealed that Melania asked an East Wing staff member to write her notes of gratitude to the residence staff in her voice and she would only sign her name at the bottom.
A custom among first ladies and sometimes even presidents was to write notes of gratitude to the staff that took care of them during their years in the White House. These notes become memorable keepsakes for the staff, according to the person with knowledge of the matter. However, this appears to be in line with previous reports revealing that Melania is not sad about leaving Washington for Florida and that she already wants to head home.
Contrary to White House officials, the residence staff does not typically change with every administration that occupies the White House. Many of the staff members are known to have worked for over 10 years. Similar to her husband Donald Trump, Melania also departs with the lowest favorability rating during her time as the country’s first lady.
With Melania’s supposed mindset, she breaks another custom by not reaching out to now-first lady Dr. Jill Biden, as with her husband to Joe Biden. Biden’s daughter Ashley Biden revealed that her mother was not contacted by Melania to have the traditional tea and tour of the White House.
“I don’t think they’re doing the traditional protocol, which is unfortunate,” said Ashley Biden during an interview on TODAY. “But I think we’re all okay with it.”
The Trumps were not present at the inauguration proceedings compared to their predecessors Barack Obama, George W. Bush, and Bill Clinton.