With the departure of President Joe Biden, first lady Jill Biden, President-elect Donald Trump, and incoming first lady Melania Trump from the White House, a swift operation is in motion to transform the Bidens’ residence into the new home for the Trumps.
Outside the White House, trucks for both incoming and outgoing moves are ready, with approximately 100 executive residence staff members tasked with facilitating the transition. Their objective is to swiftly relocate the Biden family, ensure the residence is thoroughly cleaned, and prepare it for the arrival of the Trumps, all within the tight timeframe of about five hours during the ongoing inaugural events.
Upon the anticipated arrival of the new first family later in the day, the residence will be fully furnished with items from the official White House collection, clothing neatly arranged in closets, and personal belongings carefully unpacked. This meticulous process is supervised by the White House chief usher in collaboration with a team of Trump’s aides.
Planning for the move begins almost immediately after the election.
“It’s a very orchestrated, minute-by-minute process where every single person on the team knows their job,” said Anita McBride, who served as chief of staff to former first lady Laura Bush.
The residence staff who have overseen nearly every detail of the Biden family’s everyday life during their time in office will be making a transition themselves.
“It’s organised, it’s professional, it’s also emotional — you’re saying goodbye to one family and welcoming another. The team that’s there is there to adapt to a new first family and that’s the goal today,” McBride said.
