Life at the White House during shutdown means no selfies at receptions, no visitors touring its famous rooms and a skeletal staff meeting basic needs.
The partial government shutdown is hitting home for President Donald Trump in a very personal way. He lives in government-run housing, after all.
Just 21 of the roughly 80 people who help care for the White House — from butlers to electricians to chefs — are reporting to work. The rest have been furloughed.
Even so, the shutdown doesn’t mean Trump is making his own bed or emptying the trash on the second floor of the White House, where he and the first lady live with their 12-year-old son, Barron.
The pared-down White House residence staff typically still includes a butler and a chef. Basic housekeeping continues.
But forget fresh flower arrangements from the White House florist — that’s hardly considered an essential service.
Trump joked this week that because of the skeletal staff, Melania Trump might have had to make salads for members of the championship Clemson football team when they visited the White House on Monday. Instead, he shelled out for a mega fast food order of burgers, fries and pizza for the team.
Still, the slim staffing may be contributing to Trump’s oft-expressed sense of loneliness about life in the White House during the longest closure in history.
