Biography
Melania Trump is a former first lady of the United States who served alongside her husband, Donald Trump, from 2017 to 2021.
She is also a former model and businesswoman who has appeared on the covers of various magazines and launched her own jewelry and skincare lines.
She is the second foreign-born first lady in U.S. history and the only naturalized citizen.
She is known for her elegant and sophisticated style and involvement in various social causes, such as cyberbullying prevention and opioid abuse awareness.
Profile Data
- Full name: Melania Trump (born Melanija Knavs)
- Date of birth: April 26, 1970
- Age: 54 years old
- Gender: Female
- Place of birth: Novo Mesto, Yugoslavia (now Slovenia)
- Nationality: Slovenian-American
- Profession: Former model, businesswoman, and first lady
- Height: 5 feet 11 inches (180 cm)
- Parents: Viktor and Amalija Knavs
- Siblings: Ines Knavs (older sister)
- Spouse: Donald Trump (m. 2005)
- Children: Barron Trump (son)
- Relationship status: Married
- Net worth: $50 million
Early Life & Education
Melania Trump, who is now 54 years old, was born on April 26, 1970, in Novo Mesto, a small town in Yugoslavia (now Slovenia).
She grew up in Sevnica, a nearby industrial town, with her parents and older sister, Ines.
Her father, Viktor, was a car dealer and a member of the Communist Party, while her mother, Amalija, was a pattern-maker at a textile factory.
Melania’s parents were hard-working and ambitious, and they instilled in their daughters a sense of discipline and self-reliance.
Melania was a quiet and studious child who enjoyed drawing, reading, and playing the piano.
She also developed a keen interest in fashion and beauty and often helped her mother sew clothes for herself and her sister.
Melania attended the Secondary School of Design and Photography in Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia, where she excelled in art and design.
She also enrolled at the University of Ljubljana, where she studied architecture and design, but she dropped out after one year to pursue a career in modeling.
She was discovered by a photographer at a fashion show in Ljubljana and soon began appearing in local and international magazines, such as Jana, Harper’s Bazaar, and Vogue.
She also participated in several beauty pageants and won the Look of the Year title in 1992.
Personal Life
Melania Trump has been married to Donald Trump, the former president of the United States, since 2005.
They met in 1998 at a party in New York City, where Melania worked as a model. Donald, who was then a real estate mogul and a celebrity, was immediately attracted to Melania and asked for her phone number.
Melania, wary of his reputation as a womanizer, refused to give it to him but instead took his number and called him a few days later.
They began dating and had a long-distance relationship for several months as Melania traveled around Europe for her modeling assignments. They eventually moved in together and got engaged in 2004.
They married on January 22, 2005, at the Episcopal Church of Bethesda-by-the-Sea in Palm Beach, Florida, followed by a lavish reception at Donald’s Mar-a-Lago estate.
The wedding was attended by about 350 guests, including celebrities, politicians, and media personalities. Melania wore a custom-made Dior gown, which reportedly cost $100,000 and weighed 60 pounds.
Melania and Donald have one son, Barron, born on March 20, 2006. Barron is the youngest of Donald’s five children and the only one born after becoming president.
Barron is fluent in Slovenian and English and attends a private school in Florida. Melania is also a stepmother to Donald’s four other children from his previous marriages: Donald Jr., Ivanka, Eric, and Tiffany.
She has a cordial relationship with them and is a step-grandmother to their ten children.
Melania and Donald’s marriage has been the subject of much speculation and scrutiny, especially after he entered politics.
Some of Melania’s former friends and aides have described their marriage as “transactional” and claimed that Melania has a separate life from Donald and that they rarely spend time together.
Others have defended their marriage and said that Melania is loyal and supportive of Donald and that they have a genuine affection for each other.
Melania herself has said she loves her husband and has a great relationship.
She has also said that she is not bothered by the rumors and scandals that have plagued their marriage, such as the allegations of Donald’s affairs and sexual misconduct, and that she focuses on her son and her role as the first lady.
Career
Melania Trump had a successful career as a model and a businesswoman before becoming the first lady of the United States.
As a model, she has appeared on the covers of various magazines, such as GQ, Vanity Fair, Elle, Glamour, and Allure.
She has also posed for famous photographers, such as Helmut Newton, Mario Testino, and Patrick Demarchelier.
She has also walked the runways for some of the top designers, such as Marc Jacobs, Vera Wang, and Dolce & Gabbana.
She has also appeared in TV shows and movies, such as Zoolander, The Apprentice, and Celebrity Big Brother.
As a businesswoman, Melania has launched her own jewelry and skincare lines sold on QVC and online. She has also designed and marketed a line of watches, which were sold in several stores in the U.S. and Canada.
She has also been involved in various charitable and philanthropic causes, such as the American Red Cross, the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, and the Police Athletic League.
As the first lady of the United States, Melania has taken on several initiatives and projects, such as the Be Best campaign, which aims to promote children’s well-being, especially in online safety, opioid abuse prevention, and healthy living.
She has also advocated for women’s empowerment, education, and environmental conservation.
She has also represented the U.S. in various international events and visits, such as the G7 summit, the NATO summit, and the state visit to the United Kingdom.
She has also hosted several events and ceremonies at the White House, such as the Easter Egg Roll, the National Christmas Tree Lighting, and the State of the Union Address.
Controversy
Melania Trump has been involved in several controversies and scandals, both before and during her tenure as the first lady of the United States.
Some of the most notable ones are:
She plagiarized Michelle Obama’s speech at the 2016 Republican National Convention, where she repeated several phrases and sentences from the former first lady’s speech at the 2008 Democratic National Convention. She later apologized and said she had used a speechwriter who had copied some parts of Michelle’s speech without her knowledge.
Her nude photoshoot for GQ magazine in 2000, where she posed naked on a fur rug on Donald’s private jet.
The photos resurfaced during the 2016 presidential campaign and sparked criticism and mockery from some of the public and the media.
Melania defended her photos and said they were a part of her modeling career, and she was proud of her body and work.
Her immigration status and citizenship process have been questioned and challenged by some of her critics and opponents.
Some have alleged that Melania worked illegally in the U.S. before obtaining a proper visa and that she lied about her education and language skills on her immigration documents.
Some have also claimed that she obtained her citizenship through a special program, the “Einstein visa, ” which is reserved for people with extraordinary abilities or achievements.
Melania denied these allegations and said that she followed the law and rules and earned her citizenship fair and square.
Her choice of outfits and accessories have sometimes caused controversy and backlash, especially when they were seen as insensitive or inappropriate for the occasion or the context.
For example, she wore a $51,000 Dolce & Gabbana jacket to the G7 Summit 2017, criticized as extravagant and out of touch. She also wore a green jacket with the words “I don’t care, do u?” on the back while visiting a migrant children’s shelter in Texas in 2018, which was slammed as disrespectful and tone-deaf.
She also wore a pith helmet, which is associated with colonialism and oppression, while on a safari in Kenya in 2018, which was denounced as offensive and ignorant.
Melania has said that she does not pay attention to criticism and wears what she likes and what makes her feel comfortable.
Social Media
- Instagram handle: @melaniatrump
- Twitter handle: @MELANIATRUMP
- YouTube: Melania Trump
Filmography
- Zoolander
- The Apprentice
- The View
- Larry King Live
- Celebrity Big Brother
- A Very Barry Branson
- The O’Reilly Factor
- 60 Minutes
- The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
Net Worth
Melania Trump has an estimated net worth of $50 million.
This includes her earnings from her modeling and business ventures, as well as her assets and properties.
