Ringing in changes at White House

From the role of the First Lady to presidential getaways, Donald Trump’s White House is going to look very different from that of his predecessors, even without a bling ballroom makeover.

— 1600 in 140

Franklin Roosevelt had his “fireside chats” broadcast over the wireless, John F. Kennedy deployed his dashing good looks to black and white television and the grand orator Barack Obama saw few problems that could not be solved by a hefty speech.

Donald Trump likes to tweet — a lot. And that is unlikely to change in office.

Even his top aides admit they don’t always know in advance when the boss is going to send a 140 character missive.

So from now on expect some early-morning scrambling around 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue as aides play catch up and patch up.

— White House south

“I don’t know whether it’s the finest public housing in America or the crown jewel of the prison system,” Bill Clinton once joked about life inside the White House bubble.

For sure, the presidency has upsides — whizzing through traffic in “the Beast” or having Air Force One depart minutes after you step on board. But for modern presidents even a walk outside the gates is a military operation requiring a phalanx of agents, HAZMAT teams, doctors, snipers and the rest.

Trump — by upbringing and lifestyle — may be better prepared for the closeted nature of the office than many of his predecessors, but he’s still going to want to get away from it all.

Many presidents have trekked west to the California desert and Sunnylands, many more have made the short hop north of Washington to the presidential retreat at Camp David.

Trump may choose to use his own pad on New York’s Fifth Avenue, but with planes constantly passing nearby and no secure perimeter it is likely to give the Secret Service the jitters. A more likely getaway destination, aides say, is Mar-a-Lago, his luxurious club in Palm Beach, Florida.

— The East Wing

President Jimmy Carter’s wife Rosalynn sat in on cabinet meetings, Eleanor Roosevelt held press conferences, Hillary Clinton championed health care reform from her West Wing office and Michelle Obama proved a kind of role-model-in-chief for a younger generation. Melania Trump is unlikely to be quite as political a first lady, or even as present in the White House. The president-elect has indicated Melania and their 10-year-old son Barron Trump will say in New York at least for the foreseeable future.