See how former First Lady Melania Trump differs from past First Ladies by reading these fascinating facts about her. She was born to Amalija (née Ulnik) and Viktor Knavs, a state-owned automobile manufacturer’s manager of vehicle and motorbike businesses. The Slovenian Communist Party included both of Melania’s parents as members. Radee is where her father was born. Her mother worked as a patternmaker at the children’s clothes company Jutrankja in Sevnica. She was born in the village of Raka.
Facts You Didn’t Know About Melania Trump
Family Matters
Ines is Melania’s sister, and her father’s first marriage produced an elder half-brother. The closest person to Melania is supposedly Ines, her older sister, who has been her confidante for a long time. Ines is a visual artist and served as Donald and Melania’s maid of honor during their wedding.
Family Matters
Hometown Memories
She resided in Sevnica, a small village in Slovenia’s Lower Sava Valley, in a basic concrete structure. In the Central Sava Valley, several coal mines were in operation. The Sava Hills surround it, including Kum and Black Peak on the right bank of the Sava.
Hometown Memories
Early Beginnings
She was born in 1970 in what was once Yugoslavia. She was already strutting the catwalk at age five. She gained her start thanks to her mother’s job in the fashion industry and acquired her mother’s sense of style. She can be seen in the photo (front, second from right) promoting the brand’s goods in 1977.
Early Beginnings
Made for Modeling
She was destined for modeling, standing at 5’11 (1.80 meters) tall. Once she moved to New York, she shared an apartment with photographer Matthew Atanian. Continuing, she worked with “Vanity Fair,” “Vogue” and the “Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.”
Made For Modeling
Making Waves
Harper’s Bazaar (Bulgaria), Ocean Drive, In Style Weddings, New York Magazine, Avenue, Allure, Vanity Fair (Italy), Vogue (after her marriage to Donald Trump), and GQ (UK) are just a few of the magazines in which she has appeared on the covers. According to her attorney Michael Wildes, she arrived in the country for the first time in August 1996 on a business visitor visa.
Making Waves
Duck You
She and the company’s symbol, a duck, appeared in an advertisement for Aflac insurance in 2005. Gilbert Gottfried, a comedian, provided the duck’s voice at the time. In the commercial, Melania and the duck experience a Frankenstein-like mad experiment personality switching. She awakens and clucks, “Aflac,” in Gottfried’s voice, at the end of the video. When Melania and Donald were still engaged, they filmed the advertisement. Melania reportedly remarked on the advertisement, “I am very excited to make my acting debut in the latest Aflac commercial,” according to Adweek. I might become recognized for uttering “Aflac” instead of Donald’s trademark phrase, “You’re fired.”
Duck You
Meeting Donald
After relocating to New York City in 1996, Melania met Donald Trump in September 1998 at a Fashion Week party. The event was hosted by Zampolli at the Kit Kat Club in Times Square. Although Donald and Marla Maples were still married, they had been divorced since May 1997. Celina Midelfart was Donald’s other date to the occasion. He tried to ask Melania for her phone number after Celina had left to use the restroom, but she rebuffed him.
Meeting Donald
On Again Off Again, and Back on
At the popular Greenwich Village restaurant Mooma, the two went on their first date. Shortly after, Melania Trump ended their relationship. After a few months apart, they got back together. After appearing in an interview on “The Howard Stern Show” in 1999, they attracted widespread notice; in 2004, Donald debuted his reality show, “The Apprentice,” which evaluates competitors on their financial acumen.
On Again Off Again, And Back On
Tying the Knot
The couple got hitched on January 22, 2005, at the Episcopal Church of Bethesda-by-the-Sea in Palm Beach, Florida, after being engaged in 2004. After that, visitors were asked to join them in celebrating in the ballroom of Donald’s Mar-a-Lago home. Her first and his third marriages respectively. In 2013, the chapel also witnessed the marriage of Michael Jordan and his wife. In the $35 million grand ballroom that the couple had refurbished especially for the event, they danced till their feet hurt. Crystal chandeliers and furnishings in the Louis XIV style of Versailles were used to embellish the ballroom.
Tying The Knot
Premium Guest List
Numerous A-list celebrities attended the event, including then-Senator Hillary Clinton, former President Bill Clinton, Katie Couric, Matt Lauer, Rudy Giuliani, Heidi Klum, Star Jones, P. Diddy, Shaquille O’Neal, Barbara Walters, Conrad Black, Regis Philbin, Simon Cowell, and Kelly Ripa. With a 5-star dinner that included caviar, steamed shrimp salad in champagne vinaigrette, and lobster rolls, French chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten provided catering for the occasion. He offered Cristal champagne all night long as well as steak tenderloin as the main meal. Probably all 350 visitors licked their plates clean.
Premium Guest List
What About Entertainment?
Billy Joel’s “Just the Way You Are” and his new rendition of “The Lady is a Tramp,” which has new lyrics critical of Trump, was among the songs performed that evening. Melania also hired a complete orchestra, The Michael Rose Orchestra of Palm Beach, which featured piano, saxophone, bass, and drums, in addition to Billy Joel’s million-dollar performance.
What About Entertainment
Meddling Media
Beginning with the bride’s $200,000 dress designed by John Galliano for the house of Christian Dior, the media was all over the wedding and made sure to be present at every stage of the event. About 300 feet of Duchesse satin were used to create the outfit, which was also exquisitely embroidered. It reportedly took 550 hours to finish. The bridal gown had a 16-foot veil, a 13-foot train, and over 1,500 hand-stitched Swarovski rhinestones and pearls. Melania accessorized the dress with three diamond bracelets and a diamond necklace for even more opulence. Later on, Melania was highlighted in “Vogue” with a 14-page spread of her $100,000 strapless Christian Dior dress.
Meddling Media
Becoming a Citizen
In 2006, one year after she wed Donald, Melania became a citizen of the United States. She said, “I followed the law. I applied for a visa that is given to immigrants with outstanding skills and sustained national and international renown. To stay here without proper documentation never occurred to me. I had a visa, and every few months I would return to Slovenia to have it stamped. I returned, I applied for a green card, and then after several years, I applied for citizenship. I, therefore, followed the law and the system. You should not simply say, “Let me stay here and whatever happens, happens,” but rather, “Do that instead.”
Becoming A Citizen
The Other Women
The third wife of Donald Trump is Melania. She put up a lot of effort as a Slovenian American model before she was named First Lady. Ivana Zelnková, a model from the Czech Republic, and Marla Maples, an actress, were Donald’s previous spouses. In 1977, he wed Ivana in Manhattan’s Marble Collegiate Church. Together, they had three kids: Eric, Ivanka, and Donald Jr. In 1988, Ivana formally became a citizen of the US. Following Trump’s romance with actress Marla Maples, the couple was divorced in 1992. Tiffany, the couple’s daughter, was born to them. These two divorces received a lot of media attention.
The Other Women
Baby Mama
In March 2006, Melania and Donald had their first child together and named him Barron William Trump. Donald chose his first name and Melania his second.
Baby Mama
Doing It All on Her Own
Melania has never had a nanny, despite leading a lavish lifestyle. She regards carrying for your child as being crucial. Harper’s Bazaar published her statement, “I don’t have a nanny,” in 2016. “I only have a chef and an assistant,” the speaker said. I handle it myself. You know, those moments spent with your child are incredibly crucial.
Doing It All On Her Own
Bog Boy, Little Boy
“We are happy and my hands are full with my two boys – my big boy and my little boy,” Melania said in response to a question on ABC News in 2013 about having more children. In an interview she had with Parenting in 2012, Melania described herself as a “full-time mom,” whose husband didn’t change diapers or put his son to the bed. In 2005, Donald also made the famous statement to Howard Stern, “I like kids. I mean, I won’t do anything to take care of them. I’ll supply funds, and she’ll take care of the kids.”
Bog Boy, Little Boy
Keeping It Neutral
Melania was associated with Love Our Children USA and the Martha Graham Dance Company, and she was very different from other First Ladies in that she didn’t try to exploit her position for a particular cause. She was involved with organizations, but she never tried to help the White House in a humanitarian way. When compared to her predecessors, her charity initiatives weren’t as evident.
Keeping It Neutral
A Woman of Faith
Since the Kennedys, Melania is the first Catholic to hold office in the White House. After Melania’s trip to the Vatican, a spokesperson for the First Lady affirmed that she is a Catholic. When she was a child, she was christened in Slovenia, but because of the League of Communists of Slovenia’s strict rule, the baptism had to be performed in secret. During the campaign, the former president did refer to his religiosity, but Melania remained silent. Melania said that meeting the pope was “one I’ll never forget.”
A Woman Of Faith
A Non-American American
Only the second First Lady, Melania, was born outside of the country. The first person to be born in a communist country, she. She was born in Yugoslavia at the time, under Marshal Josip Tito’s leadership. Louisa Adams, the wife of John Quincy Adams, became the first foreign First Lady. Her birthplace was London. She was born to an English mother and an American businessman. From 1825 to 1829, she was the sixth First Lady.
A Non American American
No Spotlite for Me, Thanks
She tried to stay out of the spotlight as much as possible during her husband’s campaign. It’s extremely unusual for a lady with such a prominent profile to disappear from the public glare, despite her acrimonious history with the spotlight. First ladies typically stand behind their spouses at all times. Melania, on the other hand, steered clear of political media attention and openly criticized her husband’s presidential bid. Melania Trump did not fit the mold of the traditional First Lady. She’s in trouble because the camera adores her.
No Spotlite For Me, Thanks
The Muse
Considering that private electronic interactions are now frequently encrypted, the names were not necessary for her United States Secret Service alias, “Muse.” They adhere to tradition, though. All names in the family traditionally start with the same letter. The names of other First Ladies are Evergreen (Hillary Clinton), Tempo (Laura Bush), and Renaissance (Michelle Obama).
The Muse
A Tall Story
One of the tallest First Ladies, she was. The former model’s height is not surprising, but she wasn’t the only tall First Lady. The stunning 5-foot-11 woman towers above Michelle Obama and Eleanor Roosevelt. She does, however, have some other distinguishing characteristics, such as the fact that she was the first naturalized American citizen to hold the position of First Lady and the only one born in a communist nation.
A Tall Story
Fashionably Late
An honorable First Lady, Melania was. She didn’t move into the White House as her permanent residence until five months after her husband was inaugurated, unlike past First Ladies. The Trumps said that the delay was made so son Barron could complete fifth grade in New York, even though critics believed she was attempting to evade her obligations as First Lady.
Fashionably Late
Speakeasy
The fact that Melania doesn’t speak English as her first language sets her apart from prior First Ladies. She is the first person to not speak English as a first language. Speaking so many languages would seem to be useful for White House events, but rumors suggest that Melania rarely gave speeches in front of large crowds because of her fairly thick accent.
Speakeasy
Wife #3
The only First Lady to have married a president’s third wife is Melania. Before Marla Maples and Ivana Trump, Trump was married to both of them from 1992 to 1999. Ivana, a native of the Czech Republic, accompanied her husband in his property efforts. The pair rose to prominence in New York society swiftly. There were speculations that Georgia native and model Marla Maples and Donald Trump were having an affair in the 1990s. In 1990, Ivana divorced her husband and received a $20 million settlement.
Wife #3
Distant But Supportive
She said to “The New York Times,” “I would be very traditional,” when asked how she would react if Donald Trump were to become the next president. like Jackie Kennedy or Betty Ford. Melania is very different from previous First Ladies who supported their husbands’ political ambitions. Melania opposed Trump’s election to the White House. In a Rolling Stone piece, Mrs. Trump was quoted as saying: “It’s not my thing. Donald is into it.
Distant But Supportive
A Mind of Her Own
Melania doesn’t always share the same opinion as her husband. She told CNN in March 2016 “I don’t agree with everything that he says, but you know, that is normal. I’m my person.”
A Mind Of Her Own
Be Best
In May 2018, former First Lady Melania launched the Be Best public awareness campaign to promote teenage well-being and fight substance use and cyberbullying. In a speech she gave in Pennsylvania, she declared that combating cyberbullying was a cause she intended to champion as First Lady.
Be Best
Little Donald
Although others claimed Melania was attempting to postpone her First Lady responsibilities, the family merely wanted their son to complete fifth grade in New York before moving to D.C. The young man, who has been dubbed “Little Donald” because of how much he resembles his father, is said to own an entire floor of the family’s three-story apartment in Manhattan.
Little Donald
Popular With the Staff
The employees liked Melania right away when she finally moved into the White House. She was distinct from previous First Ladies, and it was clear from the manner she showed consideration for and gratitude for the personnel.
Popular With The Staff
Separate Bedrooms
The Trumps reportedly spend little time together and don’t even sleep in the same bedroom, according to some White House staffers and associates. Their time together is infrequent because of their divergent schedules. Apparently, after his first two marriages, Trump was happy to have Melania’s easygoing personality. Melania has self-described as not being a nagging wife. Trump described his relationship as stress-free in a CNN interview from 2005: “We have never argued. We just are very compatible.”
Separate Bedrooms
Keeping Quiet
Melania stood apart from prior First Ladies in several ways. She spoke softly and had a peaceful manner. Her close friends have described her as a homebody who avoids the spotlight and frequently leaves events early.
Keeping Quiet
Can I Have Your Number?
Melania and Donald, according to “The New Yorker,” first connected at a New York City party during Fashion Week in 1998. She refused to give Donald her phone number because he was there on a different date. Being the self-assured and ambitious man that he is, Donald persisted. Finally, Melania gave him her number instead of giving him hers.
Can I Have Your Number?
Her Father’s Daughter
Childhood acquaintances of Melania claimed to “The New York Times” that Melania’s father is likewise a “larger-than-life personality,” much like Donald. Viktor Knavs, her father, handled automobile and motorcycle dealerships for a state-owned firm and was a member of the Communist Party, which the Times called “an exclusive club whose members sometimes joined because of career ambitions as much as ideology.” Another detail about her father that her childhood pals revealed was also reported in the Times: “He carries himself “in a self-assured style that now reminded them of Mr. Trump,” they said.
Her Father’s Daughter
Trouble With the In-Laws?
Another interesting revelation made by “The New York Times” was that Melania’s parents didn’t fully comprehend or concur with Donald’s political stances and behavior. Knavs said he didn’t understand why his son-in-law wanted to be president, according to the Times, and expressed his displeasure to his old buddy about Donald Trump’s “whiplash-inducing inconsistency.”
Trouble With The In Laws
Visiting Melania’s Homeland
Only once did Donald Trump travel to Slovenia. The visit lasted only three hours and took place in July 2002. Donald’s Boeing 727 brought Melania and him to the airport in Ljubljana Brnik. At the Grand Hotel Toplice on Lake Bled, they dined with Viktor and Amalija Knavs. According to The New Yorker, “Trump’s stopover at Lake Bled was the only time he has been to Slovenia.”
Visiting Melania’s Homeland
Standing by Her Man
Melania Trump doesn’t drink alcohol (unlike Donald Trump), and the New Yorker claims that she “appears to have internalized many aspects of Donald’s culture.” Additionally, she never caves into criticism of her spouse, especially when it comes to topics about which she could easily crack jokes, like his unfashionable hairdo. She has also adopted her husband’s distinctive pout, claims “The New Yorker.”
Standing By Her Man
An A-Typical First Lady
The President and First Lady are subject to high expectations from the public. Melania Trump’s decision to remain in New York is just one example of how Donald and Melania Trump deviated from the norm. When Melania was in attendance at the U.S. She defied convention by showing up without the president during President Trump’s first State of the Union address and opted to ride with her invited friends to the first lady’s box instead.
An A Typical First Lady
No Degree, But Still Okay
The former first lady studied architecture and design at Ljubljana University. She stopped school after one year to model. She has a Wikipedia page for University alumni. Melania is the first non-college-educated First Lady. Discussing her college was sensitive throughout the campaign. A Republican National Committee biography stated that Trump began modeling “after getting a degree in design and architecture from a university in Slovenia.” The Trump company removed her biography from the website after reporters discovered she hadn’t finished.
No Degree, No Problem
The Crown Jewel
In 2010, Melania Trump debuted her jewelry line on the QVC shopping network. Melania’s knack for business was fully displayed as she told the world about her passion for rare and expensive things. It wasn’t just about the charitable work she did. Website visitors to the White House under the Trump administration were overjoyed. They discovered the magazine covers that Melania had appeared on, her QVC jewelry brand, her biography, and the charitable work she had done.
The Crown Jewel
A Cover Girl
Numerous high-profile magazines have featured Melania Trump’s stunning beauty. Famous photographers captured her grace and charm during her successful modeling career. Melania’s adaptability and composure were displayed in high fashion editorials and glossy covers by Patrick Demarchelier, Helmut Newton, and Mario Testino. Melania charmed and impressed audiences. Her charm and beauty made her a fashion icon.
A Cover Girl
Birth Name
Melania Trump adopted her birth name while modeling. She changed her maiden name, Knavs, to Knauss when working in fashion in Italy. Her name change showed her versatility and international journey. Melania’s decision to use the German version of her name made her stand out and broadened her audience. It shows her ability to manage fashion and make strategic judgments that build her brand as a model and First Lady.
Birth Name
She is Multi-Lingual
Melania speaks several languages, possibly six. CNN said she spoke Slovenian, French, Serbian, German, Italian, and English. Her three-year-old son Barron Trump spoke Slovenian, English, and French. Presidents’ wives have spoken numerous languages before Melania. Louisa Adams spoke Dutch. Nixon spoke Spanish. Herbert and Lou Hoover spoke Mandarin. To avoid eavesdropping, the Hoovers spoke Chinese in the White House.
She Is Multi Lingual
Yes, to the Dress
She wore two $200,000 wedding dresses. After dating for six months, the pair reunited and became engaged in 2004. Katie Couric, Heidi Klum, Shaq, Barbara Walters, Simon Cowell, Billy Joel, and the Clintons attended their Florida winter wedding. Melania changed dresses after her Dior gown got too heavy. For the Mar-a-Lago celebration, Vera Wang made a Grecian-style, knee-length gown.
Yes, To The Dress
Evolution in Style
Melania Trump’s style has evolved significantly over the past few years, and her wardrobe has been entirely revamped. Examine Melania’s style, from embellishments and plunging necklines to conservative and elegant suits. In the late 1990s, Trump adored wearing garments adorned with gemstones. In 1999, she wore this dress to the 27th annual Fragrance Foundation Fifi Awards as an example. The FiFi Awards are often called the “Oscars of the fragrance industry.” The Fragrance Foundation hosts an annual event to recognize the inventive achievements of the fragrance industry.
Evolution In Style
A Furry Situation
In 2002, Melania Trump wore a white fur coat that was as good as anything in The Chronicles of Narnia. But stop with your closet! This beautiful outfit wasn’t for a royal ball or a trip through a magical wardrobe; it was from the Victoria’s Secret show in 2002. What a way to get people’s attention on the runway! Melania seems to have changed her mind about fur fashion, though. Stephanie Grisham, who is in charge of media for Trump’s East Wing, says that Melania no longer wears fur. In fact, she sent a polite “thank you” note to the famous Playmate Pamela Anderson, who gave her a gift of fake fur after Trump’s inauguration.
A Furry Situation
Let Them Eat Chiffon
Melania Trump’s fashion! In 2003, she channeled Marie Antoinette and dazzled. Imagine a hip-hugging white dress with delicate chiffon frills, candy-pink silk on the bottom, and modern-day queen-worthy pink silk shoes. She unveiled this lavish outfit at the 2003 Film Society banquet honoring Susan Sarandon. Melania makes a great first impression. She illustrates that every gathering can be a catwalk for her fashion sense and regality.
Let Them Eat Chiffon
Pink Princess
In 2005, she was the most beautiful thing on the stage at the Marc Jacobs show. Melania went for a trendy and bold look by wearing low-rise flare pants that showed off her great sense of style. She chose a pink sheer cami top to go with her denim outfit, which gave it a touch of softness and charm. During Olympus Fashion Week Spring 2005, the Marc Jacobs show was held at Pier 54 in New York City. This was the perfect place for Melania to show off her fashion-forward choices and get the attention of fashion fans worldwide.
Pink Princess