Her Family
Born in Novo Mesto, Yugoslavia (present-day Slovenia) in April 1970, she was born Melanija Knavs. Melania’s parents are Victor, who was a car and motorcycle dealership manager, and Amalija, who worked as a pattern-maker for a children’s manufacturer. She has an older sister named Ines, who she is quite close with. She also has an older half-brother that she is not in contact with from her father’s previous relationship.
Her Family
Where She Grew Up
Melania’s upbringing was a modest one. She grew up in this simple apartment building located in Sevnica, in the Lower Sava Valley. While growing up there, her father was involved with the League of Communists of Slovenia. When Melania was a teenager, the whole family moved to a two story home in Sevnica, and later when she was in high school. she lived in a high rise apartment in Ljubljana.
Where She Grew Up
Her Humble Roots
Melania was exposed to the world of fashion early on owing to her mother’s job at the children’s clothing manufacturer. When she was a child, Melania, along with the other children of the factory workers, participated in fashion shows that showcased the company’s children’s clothing. She is the second from the right in front in the photo, which was taken in 1977.
Her Humble Roots
Her Career Takes Off
When she was just 18 years old, Melania changed her last name from Knavs to Knauss and signed with a modeling agency in Milan. After meeting Paolo Zampolli, co-owner of Metropolitan Models, he encouraged her to move to the U.S. where he could represent her. She moved to Manhattan and shared and apartment with photographer Matthew Atanian in Union Square.
Her Career Takes Off
Cover Girl
In 2002,New York Magazine‘s“Singles” issue featured the future wife of Donald Trump and First Lady of the United States on the cover. She is seen smooching a New York City firefighter, as this was not long after the September 11th, 2001 attacks that shook New York City. The photoshoot was done in order to recreate the 1945 Alfred Eisenstaedt photograph of the sailor kissing a nurse in Times Square on V-J Day.
Cover Girl
Landing Commercials
After working with many magazines includingHarper’s Bazaar Bulgaria, Ocean Drive, In Style Weddings, New York Magazine, Avenue, Allure, Vanity Fair Italy, GQ UK, andVogue(following her wedding to Donald Trump), Melania also landed a commercial with Aflac Insurance in 2005, landing her on the small screen. On this work, she toldAdweek: “I am very excited to make my acting debut in the latest Aflac commercial. Donald is known for saying ‘You’re fired’; maybe I will be known for saying ‘Aflac.’”
Landing Commercials
Meeting Donald Trump
Melania moved to Manhattan in 1996, but it was only two years later when she first met her future husband. She met Donald Trump while at a party at the Kit Kat Club hosted by Paolo Zampolli during Fashion Week in September of 1998. Trump in the process of divorcing second wife Marla Maples at the time, and he was at the party with another date named Celina Midelfart. Despite all that, when Celina was in the restroom, Trump tried to get Melania’s phone number.
Meeting Donald Trump
A Rocky Start
Although she initially rejected him because he was at the party with another woman, eventually Melania agreed to go out with the real estate mogul, and the couple went on their first date at Mooma in Greenwich Village. The two then had an on and off relationship for a while before becoming more solid later on. In 1999, the two gained attention for a lewd interview with Howard Stern, and later the pair became even more highly visible once Trump launched his reality showThe Apprentice in 2004.
A Rocky Start
Making It Official
The couple became engaged in 2004 and officially tied the knot in January 2005. They got married at the Episcopal Church of Bethesda-by-the-Sea in Palm Beach, Florida. The party was later held at Mar-a-Lago, Trump’s estate where they live in to this day. This is Melania’s first marriage while it is Trump’s third.
Making It Official
Star Studded Guest List
The wedding’s guest list was packed with famous names that included Katie Couric, Matter Lauer, Rudy Giuliani, Heidi Klum, Star Jones, Regis Philbin, Kelly Ripa, Simon Cowell, Barbara Walters, P. Diddy, Shaquille O’Neal, Conrad Black, and perhaps most notable also then-Senator Hillary Clinton and former U.S. president Bill Clinton. Catering was provided by Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten.
Star Studded Guest List
Famous Faces and Performances
Of course, what’s a famous wedding without famous entertainment? Billy Joel performed at the Trumps’ wedding, performing songs like “Just The Way You Are” and “The Lady Is A Tramp,” with lyrics changed to “That’s Why The Donald is a Trump.” Additionally, the Michael Rose Orchestra of Palm Beach performed as well.
Famous Faces And Performances
Her Wedding Dress
Of course, one of the main attractions at a wedding is the dress chosen by the bride, and Melania’s dress was no exception. She wore a John Galliano of Christian Dior house dress that cost between $100,000 and $200,000 thanks to the detailed embroidery on the 300 feet of Duchesse satin. It allegedly took 550 hours to create. Additionally, the dress included more than 1500 crystal rhinestones and pearls that were meticulously hand stitched on. She paired the dress with a diamond necklace and three diamond bracelets.
Her Wedding Dress
Becoming A U.S. Citizen
She became an official citizen of the United States in 2006, a year after marrying Donald Trump. She was first given a visa that’s given to immigrants that show “extraordinary ability and sustained national and international acclaim.” On the process, she shared: “I followed the law. I never thought to stay here without papers. I had a visa, I traveled every few months back to the country to Slovenia to stamp the visa. I came back, I applied for the green card, I applied for the citizenship later on after many years of green card. So I went by the system, I went by the law. And you should do that, you should not just say let me stay here and whatever happens, happens.”
Becoming A U.S. Citizen
Third Time’s The Charm
As mentioned, Trump’s marriage to Melania is his third. His first marriage was to Czech model Ivana Zelníčková, and his second was to American actress Marla Maples. In 1977, he married Ivana in Manhattan, and together they have three children: Donald Jr., Eric, and Ivanka. They divorced in 1992 following Trump’s affair with Marla Maples, who he then married in 1993. Donald and Marla have a daughter named Tiffany. The two divorced in 1999.
Third Time’s The Charm
Their Son
Melania and Donald’s son Barron William Trump was born in March 2006. Melania chose his middle name and Donald chose his first name. Through her marriage to Donald, Melania became the step-mother to all of his previous children Donald Jr., Eric, Ivanka, and Tiffany.
Their Son
Taking Care Of Him
On raising Barron, Melania toldPeople: “As a mother myself, I know what goes into raising a child. It takes an incredible amount of strength, a lot of time, a generous amount of patience, and all of our love. As moms, we are so incredibly privileged to be able to bring children into this world and be a part of helping them grow into adults.” She also told the magazine that she has always been hands on, helping him with his homework, taking him to his activities, and encouraging him in all of his dreams.
Taking Care Of Him
Taking Care Of Her Two Boys
In 2016, she shared withHarper’s Bazaar: “I don’t have a nanny. I have a chef, and I have my assistant, and that’s it. I do it myself. You know, those hours with your child are really important ones.” In another interview, with ABC News, she said: “We are happy and my hands are full with my two boys: my big boy and my little boy.”
Taking Care Of Her Two Boys
Her Time As First Lady
During her time as First Lady, Melania was involved a little bit, but for the most part, she preferred to keep to herself. She took part in the Martha Graham Dance Company and Love Our Children USA, as well as her own initiative Be Best, but throughout her husband’s presidency, Melania took on less than previous First Ladies had in the past.
Her Time As First Lady
Her Faith Is Important
Since the Kennedys were in the White House, there were no more Catholics until Melania became First Lady. Following Melania’s trip to the Vatican, her spokeswoman confirmed that she was baptized in secret in Slovenia. After meeting the Pope, she described the experiences as “one I’ll never forget.”
Her Faith Is Important
Second Non-American First Lady
Did you know that Melania is just the second First Lady that was not born in the United States? The first was John Quincy Adams’ wife Louisa Adams, who was born in London, England to an American merchant father and English mother. Louisa was the sixth First Lady and served from 1825 until 1829.
Second Non American Born First Lady
Out Of The Spotlight
Although Melania was a well known model, she never expected a level of scrutiny that comes with being in the public eye as the First Lady of the United States. While it was always the case that the President’s wife would always be seen by his side, Melania broke with this tradition in order to avoid the spotlight that she hates so much. She even openly dismissed her husband’s presidential campaign and did her best to avoid media coverage as much as she could.
Out Of The Spotlight
First Lady Muse
Every President and his entourage is given a special code name by the United States Secret Service. While electronic communications at the White House are now encrypted, the tradition of code names lives on, and Melania’s name was “Muse.” Usually, all of the code names of the First Family will start with the same letter. Michelle Obama’s code name was Renaissance, Laura Bush was Tempo, and Hillary Clinton was Evergreen.
First Lady Muse
She’s Quite Tall
As we all know that Melania had a successful modeling career, and so it makes sense that she is very tall, standing at 5 foot 11. She is not the only tall First Lady, as Michelle Obama and Eleanor Roosevelt were also unusually tall First Ladies. What is unique to Melania is the fact that she is the first First Lady that is a naturalized U.S. citizen and the only one to have been born in a communist country.
She’s Quite Tall
Arriving Late
Since she was not a huge fan of the idea of her husband running for president in the first place, when he won the election, she ended up doing things differently than previous First Ladies. She did not move into the White House right away as is the norm, but only 5 months into Trump’s presidency. Donald explained that the reason for this delay was to allow Barron to finish 5th grade at his school in New York.
Arriving Late
English Is Her Second Language
Just like the fact that she is the first First Lady that is a naturalized U.S. citizen, she is also the first First Lady whose first language is not English. Perhaps this is the reason why she rarely ever made public speeches.
English Is Her Second Language
First Time A Third Wife
The list of firsts continues for Melania, as she is also the only First Lady of the U.S. president that is his third wife. Donald was married to Ivana until 1992 and Marla until 1999. After Trump became president, Ivana stated that: “I’m basically first Trump wife. OK? I’m first lady.” Perhaps she was feeling envious, but not many agreed with her logic.
First Time A Third Wife
His Thing, Not Hers
In 2000, Melania told theNew York Times what her role would be if her husband would become president: “I would be very traditional. Like Betty Ford or Jackie Kennedy. I would support him.” However, it would appear from much of her behavior when he did become president that this was not her first choice in the matter. Despite this, she toldRolling Stone: “It’s not my thing. It’s Donald’s thing.”
His Thing, Not Hers
Her Own Voice
Melania was never afraid to voice her own opinion, even if it meant disagreeing with her husband. In a 2016 interview withCNN, Melania shared: “I don’t agree with everything that he says, but you know, that is normal. I’m my own person.”
Her Own Voice
Her Campaign
In 2018, Melania launched the Be Best campaign in order to help fight against cyberbullying and substance abuse in youths. She said that this cause was close to her heart and she wanted to use her platform to fight against cyberbullying.
Her Campaign
Donald’s Mini Me
Barron Trump is often referred to as Donald Trump’s “mini-me,” as he resembles his famous father very much. Melania is very involved in his life, and she is known for being doting and protective of him. Being the son of a real estate mogul and former U.S. president, it makes sense that Barron is said to live quite a lavish lifestyle.
Donald’s Mini Me
The Staff
Following her time as First Lady, Melania hired three of the White House staff members to continue on with her after leaving the White House herself. The staff that she selected joined her in Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida.
She Was Admired By The Staff
Separate Spaces
According to a book by CNN reporter Kate Bennett, while living in the White House, Melania occupied her own room on her own, separate floor there. According to Bennet, Donald slept in the master bedroom on the second level, and Melania slept in a two-room space on the third floor that was once occupied by Michelle Obama’s mother. Other presidential couples that slept in separate rooms were the Kennedys and Johnsons.
Separate Spaces
Known For Being Soft Spoken
Melania is not known for being outspoken, and in fact, she is known to be be quite the opposite. She is soft spoken and prefers to spend time away from large groups of people. She reportedly shared that she “liked her space to read or be alone.” That also explains why she didn’t like to be in the spotlight.
Known For Being Soft Spoken
Asking For Her Number
As reported byThe New Yorker, when Donald met Melania in 1998 during New York Fashion Week, he asked for her phone number. Since he was there with another date, Melania refused. However, being the persistent man that he is, he didn’t give up. In the end, Melania took his phone number instead of giving him hers, so that she could be in control of the situation as she pleased.
Asking For Her Number
Her Parents
According to Melania’s childhood friends, her father has a larger than life personality, which echoes Donald Trump’s personality as well. A former member of the Communist Party, her father managed a motorcycle and car dealership. Her friends said that he “carries himself in a self-assured way that now reminded them of Mr. Trump.”
Her Parents
Trouble With The In-Laws
TheNew York Times shared that Donald Trump’s in laws did not agree with his politics and views. As reported byThe Times, her father said that he didn’t like Trumps “whiplash-inducing inconsistency.”
Trouble With The In Laws
Visiting Her Hometown
In July 2002, Donald Trump visited Melania’s home country of Slovenia, arriving at Ljubljana Brnik Aiport in his Boeing 727 plane. They dined with her parents at the Grand Hotel Toplice located on Lake Bled. According toThe New Yorker, “Trump’s stopover at Lake Bled was the only time he has been to Slovenia.”
Visiting Her Hometown
Supporting Her Husband
AsThe New Yorker reported, Melania “appears to have internalized many aspects of Donald’s culture.” That means that like her husband, Melania abstains from drinking alcohol and is rarely publicly critical of her husband. Additionally, “she has taken on her husband’s signature pout,” as stated inThe New Yorker.
Supporting Her Husband
Breaking With Tradition
Since Donald Trump was the 45th President of the United States, most Americans had an idea of presidential behavior as well as the norms expected from a First Lady. However, the Trumps turned everything upside down. Unlike previous First Ladies, Melania didn’t travel with her husband to the first State of the Union address of his presidency and rode with her guests who joined her in the First Lady’s Box at the venue.
Breaking With Tradition
Didn’t Graduate With Her Degree
Although Melania began her degree at University of Ljubljana where she studied architecture and design, just left after just one year in order to pursue her modeling career. However, she is far from being the only First Lady who doesn’t have a college degree.
Didn’t Graduate With Her Degree