Inauguration Day Is also Moving Day at the White House

Inauguration¹ Day Is also Moving Day at the White House

Moving from one house to another is a difficult process. It is even more difficult for workers at the White House on Inauguration Day.

On Wednesday at 12 p.m., Joe Biden will be sworn in as the 46th president of the United States. Workers will then have about five hours to get the house ready for the new president and his family.

The moving process would normally start when the outgoing president and incoming president leave the White House together and go to the U.S. Capitol for the swearing-in ceremony. Matt Costello, an historian at the White House Historical Association, says that moving trucks wait outside the White House until the two leaders have left.

"...As soon as the president and president-elect leave, they wave in the moving trucks, and they'll pack up the outgoing president's things, and then they'll unpack² all of the new first family's things," Costello said.

But this year is anything but normal.

President Donald Trump³ has said that he will not attend Biden's inauguration. That means the two will not be going to the Capitol together.

However, by 12:01 p.m., all of Trump's belongings⁴ will have to follow him out of the White House to his private home in Florida. And trucks loaded with Biden's belongings can enter the grounds.

Deep clean the White House

The White House normally is deep cleaned in between families, said Anita McBride. She was an assistant to President George W. Bush and helped him move out of the White House in 2009.

"Everything goes through a massive cleaning," she said. Bedding is removed and new mattresses⁶ are put in place. Floor rugs are cleaned or replaced. The walls get fresh paint, as needed.

The coronavirus pandemic has made such efforts even more complex. In addition to usual cleaning, the White House will go through a special COVID-19 cleaning. CNN reports that the full cleaning process will cost almost $500,000.

There have been several coronavirus outbreaks in the White House in recent months. Those infected included Trump, his wife, Melania, and many of the president's close aides.

Biden is tested often for the coronavirus and recently received his second shot of the vaccine⁷. But his age still puts him at risk of sickness. The incoming president is 78 years old.

Some public health experts have said it is important to take extra care to reduce the spread of the virus during the move.

Linsey Marr is a Virginia Tech professor with expertise⁸ in airborne transmission of viruses. "There's going to be a lot of people in there moving things in and out," she said. "I'd want to make sure that those people are masked, covering their nose and mouths at all times."

Marr added that the Biden family should wait a few hours after the move is finished before they enter the White House.

Make them feel at home

The Trumps⁹ ignored tradition and never invited the Bidens to visit the White House after the election. The Obamas invited the Trumps to visit before the 2017 inauguration. And the Bush family met with the Obamas before their move to the White House in 2009.

The White House chief usher¹⁰ oversees¹¹ housekeeping workers in the White House. The chief usher usually works with someone on the incoming president's team to help make the White House feel like home for the new family. CNN reported that White House chief usher Timothy Harleth has reached out to help the Bidens with their move.

Once the moving trucks pass through security and get onto White House grounds, housekeeping workers will start carrying the Biden family's belongings inside.

The new first family is able to choose furniture and works of art from the White House's extensive collection, which is kept in Maryland.

When the Bidens do get to the White House later on Inauguration Day, McBride said they will find "all their clothes are hanging in the closet...all of their personal photos are out in the places where they wanted them to be."

They will also find their favorite food and drinks in the kitchen. The Washington Post reported that those products included peanut butter, apples, red grapes, Diet Coke and Coke Zero, low-fat yogurt and ice cream.

Angella Reid is a former White House chief usher. She oversaw¹² moving day in 2017 for the Trumps. She said the goal of moving day is to say goodbye to the outgoing president and the first family and then immediately create a "warm, welcoming living space" for the new president and first family.

Words in This Story

pack - v. to put (something) into a bag, suitcase, etc., so that you can take it with you

transmission - n. the process in which something is spread

mattress⁵ - n. a cloth case that is filled with material and used as a bed

furniture - n. chairs, tables, beds, etc.

closet - n. a usually small room that is used for storing things (such as clothing, towels, or dishes)

kitchen - n. a room in which food is cooked

1 inauguration   

n.开幕、就职典礼

参考例句：

• The inauguration of a President of the United States takes place on January 20.美国总统的就职典礼于一月二十日举行。
• Three celebrated tenors sang at the president's inauguration.3位著名的男高音歌手在总统就职仪式上演唱。

2 unpack   

vt.打开包裹（或行李），卸货

参考例句：

• I must unpack before dinner.我得在饭前把行李打开。
• She said she would unpack the items later.她说以后再把箱子里的东西拿出来。

3 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

4 belongings   

n.私人物品，私人财物

参考例句：

• I put a few personal belongings in a bag.我把几件私人物品装进包中。
• Your personal belongings are not dutiable.个人物品不用纳税。

5 mattress   

n.床垫，床褥

参考例句：

• The straw mattress needs to be aired.草垫子该晾一晾了。
• The new mattress I bought sags in the middle.我买的新床垫中间陷了下去。

6 mattresses   

褥垫，床垫( mattress的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The straw mattresses are airing there. 草垫子正在那里晾着。
• The researchers tested more than 20 mattresses of various materials. 研究人员试验了二十多个不同材料的床垫。

7 vaccine   

n.牛痘苗，疫苗；adj.牛痘的，疫苗的

参考例句：

• The polio vaccine has saved millions of lives.脊髓灰质炎疫苗挽救了数以百万计的生命。
• She takes a vaccine against influenza every fall.她每年秋季接种流感疫苗。

8 expertise   

n.专门知识(或技能等)，专长

参考例句：

• We were amazed at his expertise on the ski slopes.他斜坡滑雪的技能使我们赞叹不已。
• You really have the technical expertise in a new breakthrough.让你真正在专业技术上有一个全新的突破。

9 trumps   

abbr.trumpets 喇叭；小号；喇叭形状的东西；喇叭筒v.（牌戏）出王牌赢（一牌或一墩）( trump的过去式 )；吹号公告，吹号庆祝；吹喇叭；捏造

参考例句：

• On the day of the match the team turned up trumps. 比赛那天该队出乎意料地获得胜利。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Every time John is late getting home he trumps up some new excuse. 每次约翰晚回家都会编造个新借口。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 usher   

n.带位员，招待员；vt.引导，护送；vi.做招待，担任引座员

参考例句：

• The usher seated us in the front row.引座员让我们在前排就座。
• They were quickly ushered away.他们被迅速领开。

11 oversees   

v.监督，监视( oversee的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• She oversees both the research and the manufacturing departments. 她既监督研究部门又监督生产部门。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Department of Education oversees the federal programs dealing with education. 教育部监管处理教育的联邦程序。 来自互联网

12 oversaw   

v.监督，监视( oversee的过去式 )

参考例句：

• He will go down as the president who oversaw two historic transitions. 他将作为见证了巴西两次历史性转变的总统，安然引退。 来自互联网
• Dixon oversaw the project as creative director of Design Research Studio. 狄克逊监督项目的创意总监设计研究工作室。 来自互联网