Fox News compared spending reports between the previous and current White House administration. One of the biggest differences in spending happened in the East Wing. Melania Trump spends 50% less money than her predecessor, Michelle Obama.
The two run their offices completely different. Michelle Obama had sixteen staffers working for her. By this time last year, Michelle had spent almost $1.24 million. Melania has only four staffers. To date, she’s only spent $486,700.
According to insiders, the East Wing focuses more on quality than quantity these days. Melania is not happy being the center of attention, and her staff shows that.
A 2009 story on factcheck.org says that, by the time she left, Michelle Obama’s 24 staffers broke records.
From the report:
That may indeed be the largest of any first lady, but Hillary Clinton, with 19 staffers, and Laura Bush with at least 18 and perhaps more, weren’t far behind.
Communications Director Stephanie Grisham says that Melania is focused on hiring the most qualified people for the job.
She said:
As with all things that she does, she is being very deliberate in her hiring focusing on quality over quantity.
It is important to her that the team is a good fit for what she wants to accomplish as the first lady, and that everyone works well together. She also wants to be mindful and responsible when it comes to taxpayer money.
Andrew Och, a First Lady historian, says that Melania Trump’s office is a throwback to older management styles.
She is more like a Pat Nixon or a Bess Truman than a Hillary Clinton or a Michelle Obama.
And if you thought this was only occurring in the East Wing, you’re wrong. Trump’s White House has trimmed a lot of unnecessary fat. Currently, there are 110 fewer staffers in the White House. That saves taxpayers more than $22 million.
Not half bad.