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Where Barron & Melania Trump Might Live
New reports out Sunday indicated another major divergence from tradition for Donald Trump's presidency, which could have some interesting effects on the First Family. According to The New York Post, Barron and Melania Trump will not be moving into the White House, or to Washington, D.C. at all. Reports from inside the transition team said that "the campaign has been difficult for Barron, and [Melania] is really hoping to keep disruption to a minimum," which gives some clue as to where Barron and Melania Trump will live instead of the nation's capital.
More than likely, Melania and Barron will continue to live in their $100 million penthouse mansion in Trump Tower on 5th Avenue. The primary motivation for this decision seems to be Barron's schooling — the 10-year-old is currently in fourth grade at one of the most elite prep schools in the country. Plus, as anyone who's ever moved schools knows, going to a new school in the middle of the school year sucks, even without being the child of a wildly controversial new president. The positives definitely seem to outweigh the negatives for the family in this case, particularly since Trump's personal wealth affords him the ability to frequently commute to see his wife and son.
However, that certainly doesn't mean that no one will be inconvenienced by the First Family's choice. This decision could have some pretty negative consequences for the residents of midtown Manhattan. Trump's already said that he plans to spend a lot of time in New York, meaning intense security in one of the most heavily trafficked section of the city. One potential solution might be building a helipad on top of Trump Tower, which could limit ground traffic as well as provide additional security, but the laws regarding helicopter landings in NYC are finicky. Whatever Trump and the city authorities decide will hopefully have the best interest of both national security and citizens' daily lives in mind.
Of all the really controversial things about Trump's presidency, this shouldn't be one of them. Atypicality doesn't necessarily mean scandal, and presidents should feel free to make these kinds of decisions when they have the opportunity. As long as this doesn't too severely impact others, this decision is actually something to admire about Trump — he and Barron are reportedly very close and it actually might be kind of hard for him to be separated from his wife and son. Ultimately, the family's decision is theirs and if it's the best for Barron, that's what he deserves.