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Trump's return to the White House, how presidents are moved within just six hours
2025-01-19 17:40:01 / BOTA
When Donald Trump is sworn in as the nation's 47th president, a series of things will happen behind the scenes at the White House. For about six hours, the personal belongings of outgoing President Joe Biden and his family will be removed from the executive residence.
Meanwhile, as Voice of America correspondent Dora Mekouar reports, the private residence will be transformed into the home of the newly sworn-in president.
The moment Joe Biden leaves the Oval Office for the last time — usually on the morning of Inauguration Day — White House staffers spring into action. The familiar office must be reorganized, according to the tastes of the incoming president.
" How do you like the Oval Office to be furnished? What carpet? What curtains, what desk, etc., because this is the first area that gets prepared ," says Angella Reid, a former White House staffer.
Photos show President Biden changing the carpet and some chairs in 2017, after taking over from Donald Trump – who is both his predecessor and successor.
But it seems that the armchairs and curtains have remained the same.
The president's family lives on the second and third floors of the White House.
Before moving day, the incoming president and first lady select the furniture and artwork they want from the White House collection. By the time the new president arrives home on Inauguration Day, he finds the furniture set up, along with personal photos.
" When the new president and first lady come in, they find their favorite shampoo in the shower. They have their toothbrush, toothpaste, their clothes hanging in the closet," says Kate Andersen Brower, author of "The Residence. "
Everything happens in less than six hours and involves about a hundred White House employees.
" It's not done by professionals from a private firm. It's the residence staff who do it. So everyone helps out and these are not people who are trained in relocation. Professionals are not hired because of safety concerns ," says Ms. Brower.
Many of the White House residence staff worked for Donald Trump during his first term from January 2017 to January 2021.
“ So the employees really liked Donald Trump because he’s used to having people around to serve him // and he even gave them tips in cash, in 20s and 50s, and they appreciate that. They’re not political people. They just care about how the president treats them ,” Ms. Brower says.
President Barack Obama hired Angela Reid as White House chief of staff in 2011. She oversaw moving day in January 2017, when the Obama family left and the Trump family moved in.
"We used the term 'organized chaos,' but it's actually a very coordinated operation. They rehearse several times for the day; everyone is waiting for the moment," says Ms. Reid.
There were some problems, such as only one elevator being usable.
" The elevator was not being used to its full potential. I corrected that and we gained an hour of time. There were times, for example, when the mattress assigned to a room was not the right size," says Ms. Reid.
But the main challenge is always the time constraint. And there are only about six hours to get everything ready to welcome the new presidential family to their new home./ VOA
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