CNN’s Don Lemon slams Melania Trump after she presented the new White House tennis pavilion amid the coronavirus pandemic. Video / CNN
A visit by Melania Trump to a Florida school has fuelled rumours she and the US President will head to Mar-a-Lago when they leave the White House in just over a month's time.
The First Lady toured Pine Crest School, located in Fort Lauderdale, a source told Page Six, ina search for the "best school" for the Trumps' 14-year-old son Barron.
Melania Trump is looking forward to leaving Washington DC and is planning the family's future, sources say. Photo / AP
"They have looked all over Palm Beach County and neighbouring Broward County for just the right place. There are several options, and they will decide soon," the source told the publication.
The private school, which costs $49,260 (US$35,000) per year to attend and requires personal and business tax returns for enrolment, would see the family likely live in, or close to, Trump's Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, which will become his political base after he leaves Washington in January.
Melania Trump's tour comes amid reports that she and the President are on different trajectories as he nears the end of his term after he lost to Joe Biden in November's presidential election.
While the President is hanging on to power, fighting tooth and nail to prove – despite no evidence – that election fraud was behind his opponent's victory, the First Lady is planning a swift exit from DC. She has reportedly already made inquiries about what financial entitlements she could receive after leaving the White House.
Donald and Melania Trump tour the Taj Mahal in Agra, India, in February. Photo / AP
Sources close to Melania Trump told CNN "she just wants to go home", claiming that the 50-year-old has privately been "determining what to put in storage, what goes to Trump's New York City digs, and what should be tagged for shipment to Mar-a-Lago".
Reports also emerged earlier this month that Trump is planning to pen a memoir about her time in the White House, with an alleged deal that could be worth "big money".
According to Australian PR expert Nicole Reaney, a Melania memoir would give her a chance to present her side of some of the biggest scandals during her time in Washington, such as her notorious "I really don't care, do u?" jacket, recordings of profanity-filled rants and persistent rumours about the state of the Trump marriage.
"Creating her own memoir gives her an uninterrupted platform to address these and control the messaging around her personal brand. It also empowers her to stand on her own, rather than be continually portrayed as walking a foot behind Donald Trump," Reaney said.
But those hoping for a juicy tell-all could be left disappointed, media commentator and advertising guru Dee Madigan told news.com.au.
"There's no way Melania is going to do anything [critical of Donald Trump] – she's the mother of his son Barron and she's reliant on him for money, so there's not going to be anything interesting coming out," Madigan said.
