1. Staffers have mere hours between the new President's swearing-in and the very end of the inaugural parade to get everything ready.
2. The First Family is able to decorate the White House in their style, but you can't just change everything and anything. Most changes happen on the second and third floors. Rooms like the Lincoln Room and Yellow Oval Room cannot be majorly altered.
"Some parts are essentially historic rooms and belong to the American people, not to the families who live there."
3. To make sure the new First Family immediately feels right at home, a staff of almost 100 people is in charge of cleaning the house and removing any items left behind from the previous family.
The crew includes plumbers, butlers, maids, and electricians!
4. The First Family is never overseeing the move. That's because they're busy at the inauguration or watching the parade.
5. The First Family is responsible for all their own packing. That includes the outgoing and incoming family.
6. So how does the First Family get all their stuff to the White House? It's completely up to them! The President-elect has to personally hire movers for any personal items.
I mean, you can move literally all of your belongings because the White House is huge! There's room for all your stuff!
7. Moving in and redecorating isn't just limited to personal living space. Offices are also being set up for the new administration.
It's up to the President to choose decor for the Oval Office. They can choose a new rug, a new desk, etc.
8. During this time, the President can choose a chef too.
9. Moving in means new house and new car. The President also has to get a cool new car with all the best security measures!
I wonder what else you can get with the car? Cool speakers? A nice TV to catch up on the latest Game of Thrones?
10. You can't move in without photos to line the walls. When it comes to moving in, new photos of the president are hung on the walls, such as the new president at the inaugural ceremonies.
11. After everything is moved in, it's up to the First Lady to continue working with staff to ensure that the transition goes smoothly.
12. It sounds kind of expensive to move into the White House! The First Family gets to cover some of the cost by using a decoration fund that pays for new paintings, carpets, and drapes.
It's nice that the First Family can decorate the White House to make it exactly how they want it to look!
13. If they want some decorating options, the First Family can go to a special storage facility that houses a ton of furniture and artwork that were collected by past presidents and the official White House curator.
The collection is massive! It includes paintings by Georgia O'Keeffe and has vintage four-poster beds.
14. Even though the First Lady is typically responsible for overseeing decorating, she can hire a professional interior decorator to help her out!
15. The First Family doesn't just have to make boring changes. They can add really cool and unique things. The Kennedys had a swimming pool built, Nixon decided to add a bowling alley, and Obama had the tennis court changed so he could use it to play basketball.
16. Here's a really weird rule: The new President, his family, and his team of staffers aren't allowed to enter the White House until noon on Inauguration Day!
17. Commercial movers are allowed to unload the truck, but they will never get to see the inside of the White House. Resident staffers are the ones who are allowed to move the First Family's belongings inside.
18. There's a really sweet tradition where the outgoing president leaves a note in the top drawer of the desk in the Oval Office for the incoming president. It's a well-known tradition, but the public never finds out about what's in the note!
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