While we hear from time to time about how Donald J. Trump is doing since his presidency ended in bloodshed and dishonor, facts are scarce. We know, for example, that he spends most of his time at resorts, shouting to strangers about the election he lost. We don’t know if he lives alone, though. What happened to Melania Trump? What happened to Barron? Are they by his side or do they live in peace away from Mar-A-Lago and his groveling entourage?
A new book, according to Insider, will fill in some of the blanks. Though it won’t be out until July 27, journalist Michael Wolff’s book Landslide: The Final Days of the Trump Presidency has already offered solid dirt. It was through this channel that we learnt Rudy Giuliani persuaded Trump that Mike Pence could reverse the election (which he couldn’t). Similarly, reports abound of Trump aides demanding offices on the second level of the White House because the president despises stairwells.
The latest breakout bit from Wolff’s book involves his post-presidential life. For one thing, it’s reportedly “unclear” how much time Melania is spending at Mar-A-Lago with her husband, just as it was unclear how often she was in the White House or in a Maryland home with her parents. But when she is there, she and Donald dine at the center of a patio restaurant, alone, at a “roped-off table.”
That sounds weird and presentational, but it’s gets stranger. As Wolff describes it, the former POTUS and FLOTUS are “looked at, somewhat, like zoo animals. No, no, that’s not right. They are like a newly married couple: every night is a wedding at which they spend their dinner greeting friends and wellwishers.”
What’s more, Donald seems to time his arrival for dinner just as everyone has filled the tables, at which point, Wolff writes, “everyone stands and applauds.”
Back in April, CNN reported on some of Melania’s mysterious involvement in her husband’s life post-White House. “She’s not a presence at Mar-a-Lago at all. She’s not mingling with people and rarely interacts with her husband’s staff,” a couple told the network. CNN also claimed that, when she is there, she “makes frequent trips to the on-site spa — with one person telling CNN she sometimes goes for treatments twice a day.”
Anyway, sounds like they’re living their best life, far away from almost everyone else’s.
