By the time we wake up tomorrow morning, the 45th President of the United States, Donald Trump, would have been sworn into office and handed the keys to his new pad – The White House.
To prepare for his arrival at the six-level, 132-room executive manor, an army of White House staffers will work tirelessly for five frenzied hours to flip the property from family-friendly Obama to down-to-business Trump.
OUT WITH THE OLD, IN WITH THE NEW
It’s a race against the clock with all of the outgoing family’s things moved out, and the incoming’s moved in and everything unpacked. Between this, furniture and furnishings will be replaced to Trump’s taste, minor damages will be fixed including worn-out carpets/rugs and flaking paint, and every single room will be cleaned topped to bottom in a tightly choreographed routine.
“It is organised chaos, and it is scripted,” Gary J. Walters, a White House staffer who had coordinated such moves for 30 years, tells Refinery29.
MONEY, MONEY, MONEY
The moving budget for the day is typically $100,000 (ouch) however it’s up to the new President to set the exact budget, which is paid out of their own pocket or from campaign funding.
“That sounds like a lot of money, but it goes in a hurry,” Walters says. “You’re talking about some carpets that are 40-feet long and 14-feet wide that go in hallways. They wear out, they have to be replaced.”
DEVIL’S IN THE DETAILS
Prior to the move an extensive questionnaire about Trump’s taste is filled out and he’s given a list of furniture and artwork options for each room. But it’s more than just the big ticket items. On move-in day, everything from what kind of mattress he prefers right down to the toothpaste he uses will all be there.
By the time he walks through the White House doors after the inaugural parade, it will look like he’s lived there his whole life.
Welcome home, Donald Trump.
