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Melania Trump

April 17, 2023

Melania Trump (/məˈlɑːniə/ mə-LAH-nee-ə; born Melanija Knavs [mɛˈlaːnija ˈknaːws][tone needed] on April 26, 1970; Germanized as Melania Knauss [meˈlaːni̯a ˈknaʊs]) is a Slovenian American former model and businesswoman who served as the First Lady of the United States from 2017 to 2021, as the wife of President Donald Trump.

Melania Trump
Official portrait, 2017
First Lady of the United States
In role
January 20, 2017 – January 20, 2021
PresidentDonald Trump
Preceded byMichelle Obama
Succeeded byJill Biden
Personal details
Born
Melanija Knavs

(1970-04-26) April 26, 1970 (age 52)
Novo Mesto, SR Slovenia, SFR Yugoslavia
CitizenshipYugoslavia (1970–1991)
Slovenia (1991–present)
United States (2006[1]–present)
Political partyRepublican[2]
Spouse
​
(m. 2005)​
ChildrenBarron Trump
ResidenceMar-a-Lago
EducationUniversity of Ljubljana (no degree)
Signature

Melania Trump grew up in Slovenia (then part of Yugoslavia), and worked as a fashion model through agencies in the European fashion capitals of Milan and Paris, before moving to New York City in 1996. She was represented by Irene Marie Models and Trump Model Management. In 2005, she married the real estate developer and TV personality Donald Trump and gave birth to their son Barron in 2006. Later that year, she became an American naturalized citizen. She is the second naturalized woman—after Louisa Adams—and the first non-native English speaker to become First Lady.[a]

Early life, family, and education

Melanija Knavs was born in Novo Mesto, Yugoslavia, now part of present-day Slovenia, on April 26, 1970.[3][4] Her father, Viktor Knavs (born March 24, 1944), was from the nearby town of Radeče and managed car and motorcycle dealerships for a state-owned vehicle manufacturer.[5][6] Her mother Amalija (née Ulčnik) (born July 9, 1945) came from the village of Raka and worked as a patternmaker at the children's clothing manufacturer Jutranjka in Sevnica.[7][8] As a child, Melanija and other children of workers at the factory participated in fashion shows that featured children's clothing.[9] She has an older sister, Ines, who is an artist and her "longtime confidant",[10][11][12] and an older half-brother—whom she reportedly has never met—from her father's previous relationship.[13][14]

Knavs grew up in a modest apartment in a housing block in Sevnica, in the Lower Sava Valley.[15][16] Her father was in the League of Communists of Slovenia, which espoused a policy of state atheism.[17] As was common, however, he had his daughters secretly baptized as Catholic.[18][19]

When Knavs was a teenager, she moved with her family to a two-story house in Sevnica.[20] As a high-school student, she lived in a high-rise apartment in Ljubljana. She attended the Secondary School of Design and Photography in the city,[21] and studied architecture and design at the University of Ljubljana for one year before she dropped out.[22][23][24]

Career

 
Melania Trump at QVC Red Carpet Style Party, 2011

Knavs began modeling at five years old and started doing commercial work at sixteen when she posed for the Slovenian fashion photographer Stane Jerko.[25][26] When she began working as a model, she adapted the Slovene version of her last name "Knavs" to the German version "Knauss".[27] At eighteen, Knauss signed with a modeling agency in Milan, Italy.[28] In 1992, she was named runner-up in the Jana Magazine "Look of the Year" contest, held in Ljubljana, which promised its top three contestants an international modeling contract.[3][29] After attending the University of Ljubljana for one year,[30] Knauss modeled for fashion houses in Paris and Milan, where in 1995 she met Metropolitan Models co-owner Paolo Zampolli, a friend of her future husband Donald Trump, who was on a scouting trip in Europe. Zampolli urged her to travel to the U.S., where he said he would like to represent her.[9] In 1996, Knauss moved to Manhattan.[9][29][28][31] He arranged for her to share an apartment with photographer Matthew Atanian in Zeckendorf Towers in Union Square.[9]

Knauss was featured in a sexually explicit photo shoot for the January 1996 issue of Max, a now-defunct French men's magazine, with Emma Eriksson, another female model, photos shot by the photographer Alexandre Ale de Basseville.[32] She also posed nude for the January 2000 UK edition of GQ magazine, appearing on the cover naked except for diamond jewelry, reclining on fur, aboard Trump's custom-fitted Boeing 727.[33] When asked about the photos in 2016, Donald Trump said: "Melania was one of the most successful models, and she did many photo shoots, including for covers and major magazines. [The Max photo] was a picture taken for a European magazine prior to my knowing Melania. In Europe, pictures like this are very fashionable and common".[34][35]

In 2010, Melania launched her own line of jewelry, Melania Timepieces and Jewelry, for sale on QVC.[36] She also marketed a Melania Marks Skin Care Collection at high-end department stores.[37][38] According to a financial filing in 2016, her businesses brought in between US$15,000 and US$50,000 in royalties that year.[39] In 2017, the two manufacturers of her jewelry and skincare products under license said they had terminated their relationship with her.[38] On inauguration day her companies and products were listed in her official White House biography but were quickly removed.[36] A White House spokesperson said her companies are no longer active and "the First Lady has no intention of using her position for profit and will not do so".[38]

In 2021, she launched a non-fungible token endeavour.[40]

Acquisition of United States citizenship

 
Donald Trump and Melania Knauss in 1999

In 1996, Knauss came to the United States from Slovenia on a visitor's visa and was paid for 10 modeling jobs during the seven weeks before she obtained an H-1B work visa[41] (this was illegal under the terms of said visa). In March 2001, while she was dating Donald Trump, she was granted permanent residency under the EB-1 program for people with "extraordinary abilities".[42] According to information from the Migration Policy Institute, only 2 percent of people in their field would be expected to qualify.[43] The Washington Post in 2018 reported that at that time Knauss's credentials included "runway shows in Europe, a Camel cigarette billboard ad in Times Square and—in her biggest job at the time—a spot in the swimsuit edition of Sports Illustrated, which featured her on the beach in a string bikini, hugging a six-foot inflatable whale".[42][43][44] In the analysis by Joel Gunter of the BBC, "[Melania Trump] does not appear at the time to have excelled in a niche area of modelling, nor won awards or had her work written about in significant publications"; Gunter reports a conjecture that

[S]he may have been boosted by high-profile testimonial letters, said Nita Upadhye, a U.S. immigration specialist at NNU Immigration Law. Testimonials form part of the application, and the more high-profile the reference the more weight it carries. If Mrs. Trump, already dating Mr. Trump at the time she applied, secured letters from luminaries in fashion, that would be significant, Ms. Upadhye said.[42]

During the months that she campaigned with her husband prior to his successful bid for the presidency, Melania Trump defended his hard-line on immigration practices and laws by stating that her own path and achievement of citizenship had been legal, unlike those of the individuals her husband was campaigning against. However, investigative reporting done by the Associated Press revealed that she had been paid for 10 modeling jobs she had done before she had obtained her H-1B work visa and was still living in the U.S. using her visitor visa. The Associated Press wrote that

Foreigners are not allowed to use a visitor visa to work for pay in the United States for American companies. Doing so would violate the terms of that visa and could prohibit a foreigner from later changing his or her immigration status in the United States or bar the foreigner from the United States again without special permission to come back.[41]

After she became a citizen in July 2006,[1] Trump sponsored her parents, Viktor and Amalija Knavs, using the "chain migration" immigration process that her husband later repeatedly criticized.[45][46] The Knavs became citizens in August 2018, five years after they acquired permanent residency.[45][47]

Relationship with Donald Trump

Early relationship

 
Kylie Bax, Donald Trump, Bill Clinton (at that time the president of the United States), and Melania Knauss (future Trump) at the US Open in 2000, Flushing, New York

In September 1998, Knauss met then-real estate mogul Donald Trump at a party, and the couple began dating[48] while the latter was in the process of divorcing his second wife, Marla Maples. The divorce was finalized in 1999.[49][50] Knauss continued her modeling career[9] with her American magazine cover shoots, including In Style Weddings,[51] New York magazine, Avenue,[52] Philadelphia Style,[53] and Vanity Fair Spain.[54] In 1999, the couple gained attention after a lewd interview with shock jock Howard Stern on his show.[6][55]

They appeared together while Trump campaigned for the 2000 Reform Party presidential nomination. When asked by The New York Times what her role would be were he to become president, she replied: "I would be very traditional, like Betty Ford or Jackie Kennedy".[56]

Marriage

The two became engaged in 2004. On January 22, 2005, they married in an Anglican service at the Episcopal Church of Bethesda-by-the-Sea in Palm Beach, Florida, followed by a reception in the ballroom at her husband's Mar-a-Lago estate.[57][58] The marriage was her first and his third. The event was attended by celebrities such as Katie Couric, Matt Lauer, former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani, Heidi Klum, Star Jones, P. Diddy, Shaquille O'Neal, Barbara Walters, Conrad Black, Regis Philbin, Simon Cowell, Kelly Ripa, Senator Hillary Clinton, and former President Bill Clinton.[58][59] At the reception, Billy Joel serenaded the crowd with "Just the Way You Are" and supplied new lyrics to the tune of "The Lady Is a Tramp".[58] The bride wore a US$200,000 dress made by John Galliano of the house of Christian Dior,[58] and the ceremony and reception were widely covered by the media,[31] including a Vogue cover which featured her in her wedding gown.[60]

On March 20, 2006, she gave birth to their son, Barron William Trump.[61] She chose his middle name, while her husband chose his first name.[62] She also has four stepchildren, stepsons Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump and stepdaughter Ivanka Trump from Donald’s first marriage to Ivana Zelníčková. She has another stepdaughter, Tiffany Trump from his second marriage to Marla Maples.

Role in 2016 presidential campaign

Main article: Donald Trump 2016 presidential campaign
 
Melania gives the thumbs up at a campaign event with her husband Donald and son Barron, November 2015.

In November 2015, she was asked about her husband's presidential campaign and replied: "I encouraged him because I know what he will do and what he can do for America. He loves the American people, and he wants to help them".[63] She played a relatively small role in the campaign, which is atypical of spouses of presidential candidates.[64][65][66] According to Washington Post's Mary Jordan, however, Melania was one of Trump's biggest supporters and continues to be a sounding board to him.[67]

In 2016, Melania told CNN her focus as first lady would be to help women and children. She also said she would combat cyberbullying, especially among children.[68] In July 2016, her official website was redirected to trump.com. On Twitter, she stated that her site was outdated and did not "accurately reflect [her] current business and professional interests".[69]

2016 RNC and plagiarism concerns

On July 18, 2016, Melania Trump gave a speech at the 2016 Republican National Convention. It contained a paragraph that was nearly identical to a paragraph of Michelle Obama's speech at the 2008 Democratic National Convention.[70][71][72] When asked about it, Melania said she wrote the speech herself "with as little help as possible".[73] Two days later, Trump staff writer Meredith McIver took responsibility and apologized for the "confusion".[74] Melania was again accused of plagiarizing Michelle Obama's speeches when, as part of her "Be Best" campaign in 2018, she gave a speech that appeared to closely echo remarks by Michelle Obama in 2016 and also distributed a written pamphlet that was nearly identical to one published by the Obama administration in 2014.[75][76]

Lawsuit against Daily Mail and General Trust

In February 2017, she sued Daily Mail and General Trust, the owner of the Daily Mail, a British tabloid, seeking US$150 million in damages over an August 2016 article that alleged that she had worked for an escort service during her modeling days. The lawsuit stated the article had ruined her "unique, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity" to establish "multimillion dollar business relationships for a multi-year term during which Plaintiff is one of the most photographed women in the world".[77] Her claim raised potential ethical questions with its implication that she intended to profit from being first lady.[78] On February 18, 2017, the lawsuit was amended, removing the language about her earning potential and focusing instead on emotional distress.[79] In April 2017, the parties settled the lawsuit and the Daily Mail issued a statement that said, "We accept that these allegations about Mrs. Trump are not true and we retract and withdraw them." The Mail agreed to pay her US$2.9 million.[80][81]

Statement on bullying

Five days before the election, she told a crowd of supporters in Pennsylvania: "Our culture has gotten too mean and too rough, especially to children and teenagers. It is never okay when a 12-year-old girl or boy is mocked, bullied, or attacked. It is terrible when that happens on the playground. And it is absolutely unacceptable when it is done by someone with no name hiding on the Internet".[82] Regarding the contrast of her platform with her husband's use of Twitter during his campaign, Melania said shortly after the election that she had rebuked him "all the time", but that "he will do what he wants to do in the end".[83]

First Lady of the United States (2017–2021)

 
Donald and Melania at the Liberty Ball on Inauguration Day, January 20, 2017

She assumed the role of first lady of the United States on January 20, 2017,[84][85] continuing to live in Manhattan at the Trump Tower with their son, Barron, until the end of his 2016–2017 school year at Columbia Grammar & Preparatory School.[86][87] A 2020 biography by Washington Post reporter Mary Jordan revealed that Melania stayed in New York to negotiate more favorable terms in her prenuptial agreement from Trump for her and their son.[67]

Of Trump's inauguration, Vogue compared Melania's wardrobe to those of Jacqueline Kennedy and Nancy Reagan, writing that Melania closely works with her stylist, designer Hervé Pierre, preferring "strongly tailored pieces" in bold colors and wearing almost exclusively high-end designers.[88][89]

She and Barron moved into the White House in Washington, D.C., on June 11, 2017.[90] Her Secret Service code name is "Muse" (beginning with the same letter as Trump's code name, "Mogul", per Secret Service tradition).[91] She is the second foreign-born woman to hold the title of first lady, after Louisa Adams, wife of John Quincy Adams, who was born in 1775 in London to a father from Maryland and an English mother.[92][93] She is also the first naturalized citizen (rather than birthright citizen) to hold the title, and the first whose native language is not English.[94] Though it has frequently been reported that Trump speaks up to five foreign languages fluently, evidence has shown that when speaking French or Italian, her speech has been limited to basic greetings.[95]

According to an unauthorized biography, she was well-liked by her staffers, is cordial to Ivanka Trump, and is not close to Mike Pence's wife, Karen Pence.[96]

On March 8, 2017, she hosted her first White House event, a luncheon for International Women's Day. She spoke to an audience of women about her life as a female immigrant, and about working towards gender equality both domestically and abroad, noting the role of education as a tool against gender inequality.[97][98][99]

In January 2018, The Wall Street Journal reported that during a three-month period when she lived in New York in 2017, she took Air Force jet flights between New York City, Florida, and Washington at a cost of more than US$675,000 to taxpayers.[100][101] In comparison, former first lady Michelle Obama's solo travel cost an average of about US$350,000 per year.[100][101]

 
Melania Trump express her condolences to the family of El Paso shooting victims Jordan and Andre Anchondo on August 7, 2019.

On March 13, 2018, Trump scheduled a March 20, 2018 meeting with policy executives from technology companies, including Amazon, Facebook, Google, Snap, and Twitter, to address online harassment and Internet safety, with a particular focus on how those issues affect children.[102] Trump's office has avoided the use of the term "cyberbullying",[102] and Trump has come under criticism for championing Internet civility while her husband's Internet behavior has been noted as uncivil.[102][103] Trump attended the roundtable event, focusing on how children are affected by modern technology. Trump said: "I am well aware that people are skeptical of me discussing this topic", but "that will not stop me from doing what I know is right".[104]

Melania took an active role in planning the Trump administration's first state dinner on April 23, 2018, to honor French president Emmanuel Macron.[105] With Brigitte Macron, the French president's wife, Trump visited a Paul Cézanne exhibit at the National Gallery of Art in Washington the day before.[106][107][108]

On June 17, 2018, Melania referred to the Trump administration's "zero tolerance" policy at the border with Mexico, where children were being separated from their parents. She stated that she "hates to see children separated from their families" and wants there to be "successful immigration reform".[109] On June 21, 2018, she made a hastily planned trip to Texas to one of the locations at which the Trump Administration's family separation policy was being carried out. She attended a roundtable with doctors, medical staff, social workers and other experts at Upbring New Hope Children's Shelter.[110] On the way to the border facility, she caused controversy by wearing a jacket that read, "I don't really care, do u?" After much speculation about the jacket's message, including criticism that she may have been expressing indifference toward the families separated at the border, Trump stated that the jacket was aimed at people and left-wing media who were criticizing her.[111]

In October 2018, Trump took a four-nation, solo tour of Africa, without her husband, focusing on conservation and children and families, visiting Ghana, Malawi, Kenya, and Egypt.[112]

On November 13, 2018, Trump issued an "extraordinary" public statement calling for the firing of Deputy National Security Advisor Mira Ricardel. She had reportedly been privately pushing for her ouster for weeks.[why?] The next day it was announced that Ricardel would "transition to a new role within the Administration".[113] It was described as unusual for a first lady to be publicly involved in White House personnel decisions.[114]

After the El Paso shooting in Texas on August 3, 2019, in which a lone gunman killed 23 people and injured 23 others, Melania and President Trump visited the hospital where eight of the survivors were being cared for. The couple met with the families of survivors, hospital staff, and first responders, and posed with a baby who had been orphaned when both of his parents were killed. The White House had asked that the child be brought in and he was accompanied by his uncle.[115][116][117]

Melania ended her tenure by agreeing with Donald that he was the legitimate winner of the 2020 election, despite his loss. She did not contact incoming first lady Jill Biden to make transition arrangements or provide her the traditional tour of the White House.[118] Melania never felt comfortable in Washington, reported The New York Times, citing people who knew her.[118]

On October 1, 2020, Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, a former friend and senior adviser to the first lady released audiotapes, on the CNN show Anderson Cooper 360°, of Melania allegedly expressing controversial and profane statements regarding her frustration with the media, her image and role as first lady.[119][120] The Trump Justice Department filed a civil suit against Wolkoff in October 2019, alleging breach of a nondisclosure agreement, which the Biden Justice Department dropped in February 2021.[121] In September 2022, Trump claimed that the audiotapes were edited to strategically make people believe that her duties in the White House were not important to her.[122]

Be Best campaign

Main article: Be Best
 
The Trumps at the announcement of the First Lady's Be Best initiative, May 2018

On May 7, 2018, Trump formally started the Be Best public awareness campaign, which focused on well-being for youth and advocated against cyberbullying and drug use.[123] The campaign was accompanied by a booklet that was promoted as having been written "By First Lady Melania Trump and the Federal Trade Commission [FTC]", but it was nearly identical to a document first published in 2014 by the FTC.[124] The similarities prompted accusations of plagiarism, to which her office responded by admonishing the press for reporting on the issue.[125] The fact-checking site Snopes found the charge of plagiarism "Mostly False" saying, "Melania Trump did not claim she had written the pamphlet herself, and she contributed an introduction to a slightly revised version of the booklet. The FTC was always credited for the creation of the booklet and supported its inclusion in the first lady's 'Be Best' campaign."[126]

In December 2019, Be Best became a trending topic on Twitter, after Melania's husband Donald used Twitter to mock teenage environmental activist Greta Thunberg. A week before the incident, Melania had criticized academic Pamela Karlan for making comments about Barron, stating that: "A minor child deserves privacy and should be kept out of politics".[127]

Approval ratings

During her husband's 2016 campaign, Trump was the least popular presidential candidate spouse in modern polling.[128] As First Lady, she managed to improve her favorability ratings from 2016 to mid-2018.[129] She reached a peak of 57% approval in May 2018 per CNN polling, shortly after her first state dinner, and her presence at the funeral of former first lady Barbara Bush without her husband Donald.[130] In December 2018, CNN reported that Melania's strongest base of support came from older, white, male Republicans and conservatives, while she had the least approval from women who were young or college-educated.[131]

In March 2019, YouGov reported that Melania, with 51% approval, was polling more popularly among the American public than other members of her family: her husband Donald, step children Donald Jr., Eric, and Ivanka, and her stepson-in-law Jared Kushner.[132] In August 2020, Morning Consult, in conjunction with Politico, reported that Melania, with 45% approval, was polling more favorably among the American public than any other Republican figures listed in the survey, including her family members, Vice President Mike Pence, Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell, and House minority leader Kevin McCarthy.[133]

In Gallup's annual poll of the most admired women, Trump ranked in the top ten each of her years as first lady, but never topped the list. She joins Bess Truman and Lady Bird Johnson as the only American first ladies who have never been named the most admired woman in this survey since Gallup began conducting the annual survey in the 1940s.[134]

Melania finished her tenure in 2021 as the least popular first lady ever polled, according to polling by CNN, SRSS, and Gallup. Her final approval rating was 42%, and her final disapproval rating was 47%; she was the only first lady who finished with a net disapproval rating. Previous first ladies since the 1970s had final popularity ratings of 71% on average. The second-least popular first lady polled was Hillary Clinton, with a final approval rating of 52% and a final disapproval rating of 39%.[135]

Personal life

 
Melania Trump with Pope Francis, the Vatican, May 2017

Religion

When the president and first lady visited Vatican City in May 2017, she identified as Catholic. She was the first Catholic to live in the White House since President John F. Kennedy and his wife Jacqueline and was the second Catholic first lady of the United States.[136][137] When she visited the Vatican, Pope Francis blessed her rosary beads, and she placed flowers at the feet of a statue of the Madonna at the Vatican's Bambino Gesù children's hospital.[138]

Health

On May 14, 2018, she underwent an embolization, which is a minimally invasive procedure that deliberately blocks a blood vessel,[139] in order to treat a benign kidney condition. The procedure was reported successful and without complications.[140]

In October 2020, both Donald and Melania tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 and immediately quarantined.[141][142][143] Melania experienced only "mild symptoms."[144]

Cultural depictions

Main article: Cultural depictions of Melania Trump

Footnotes

  1. ^ Hannah Van Buren, wife of Martin Van Buren, was a native Dutch speaker. However, she died before her husband became president and was never first lady.

References

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  2. ^ "Melania Trump votes in N.Y. primary". The Washington Post. April 19, 2016. from the original on April 30, 2019. Retrieved June 14, 2018.
  3. ^ a b Collins, Lauren (May 9, 2016). "The Model American: Melania Trump is the exception to her husband's nativist politics". The New Yorker. from the original on November 19, 2018. Retrieved May 3, 2016.
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  10. ^ Klein, Betsy (February 22, 2017). "Melania Trump's sister shows rare behind-the-scenes look on social media". CNN. from the original on June 26, 2018. Retrieved June 26, 2018. Knauss, an artist, has also shared throwback images of her own fashion designs.
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  18. ^ Požar, Bojan (February 18, 2016). Melania Trump – The Inside Story: The Potential First Lady. Zalozba Ombo d.o.o. Ljubljana. pp. 111–113. Melanija Knavs was baptized on 14 June 1970 in Raka (the village where her mother came from). The church was called St. Lawrence, the master of ceremony was pastor Franc Campa. Her sister Ines had also been baptized there, and there had been a church service following the official civil marriage of her parents in 1967 (Požar, p. 94). This was all not in accordance with what was officially allowed to members of the Communist Party, but it was nevertheless quite common to do it secretly.
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External links

 
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Honorary titles
Preceded by First Lady of the United States
2017–2021 		Succeeded by

April 17, 2023
melania, trump, ɑː, born, melanija, knavs, mɛˈlaːnija, ˈknaːws, tone, needed, april, 1970, germanized, melania, knauss, meˈlaːni, ˈknaʊs, slovenian, american, former, model, businesswoman, served, first, lady, united, states, from, 2017, 2021, wife, president,. Melania Trump m e ˈ l ɑː n i e me LAH nee e born Melanija Knavs mɛˈlaːnija ˈknaːws tone needed on April 26 1970 Germanized as Melania Knauss meˈlaːni a ˈknaʊs is a Slovenian American former model and businesswoman who served as the First Lady of the United States from 2017 to 2021 as the wife of President Donald Trump Melania TrumpOfficial portrait 2017First Lady of the United StatesIn role January 20 2017 January 20 2021PresidentDonald TrumpPreceded byMichelle ObamaSucceeded byJill BidenPersonal detailsBornMelanija Knavs 1970 04 26 April 26 1970 age 52 Novo Mesto SR Slovenia SFR YugoslaviaCitizenshipYugoslavia 1970 1991 Slovenia 1991 present United States 2006 1 present Political partyRepublican 2 SpouseDonald Trump m 2005 wbr ChildrenBarron TrumpResidenceMar a LagoEducationUniversity of Ljubljana no degree SignatureMelania Trump grew up in Slovenia then part of Yugoslavia and worked as a fashion model through agencies in the European fashion capitals of Milan and Paris before moving to New York City in 1996 She was represented by Irene Marie Models and Trump Model Management In 2005 she married the real estate developer and TV personality Donald Trump and gave birth to their son Barron in 2006 Later that year she became an American naturalized citizen She is the second naturalized woman after Louisa Adams and the first non native English speaker to become First Lady a Contents 1 Early life family and education 2 Career 3 Acquisition of United States citizenship 4 Relationship with Donald Trump 4 1 Early relationship 4 2 Marriage 4 3 Role in 2016 presidential campaign 4 3 1 2016 RNC and plagiarism concerns 4 3 2 Lawsuit against Daily Mail and General Trust 4 3 3 Statement on bullying 5 First Lady of the United States 2017 2021 5 1 Be Best campaign 5 2 Approval ratings 6 Personal life 6 1 Religion 6 2 Health 7 Cultural depictions 8 Footnotes 9 References 10 External linksEarly life family and educationMelanija Knavs was born in Novo Mesto Yugoslavia now part of present day Slovenia on April 26 1970 3 4 Her father Viktor Knavs born March 24 1944 was from the nearby town of Radece and managed car and motorcycle dealerships for a state owned vehicle manufacturer 5 6 Her mother Amalija nee Ulcnik born July 9 1945 came from the village of Raka and worked as a patternmaker at the children s clothing manufacturer Jutranjka in Sevnica 7 8 As a child Melanija and other children of workers at the factory participated in fashion shows that featured children s clothing 9 She has an older sister Ines who is an artist and her longtime confidant 10 11 12 and an older half brother whom she reportedly has never met from her father s previous relationship 13 14 Knavs grew up in a modest apartment in a housing block in Sevnica in the Lower Sava Valley 15 16 Her father was in the League of Communists of Slovenia which espoused a policy of state atheism 17 As was common however he had his daughters secretly baptized as Catholic 18 19 When Knavs was a teenager she moved with her family to a two story house in Sevnica 20 As a high school student she lived in a high rise apartment in Ljubljana She attended the Secondary School of Design and Photography in the city 21 and studied architecture and design at the University of Ljubljana for one year before she dropped out 22 23 24 Career Melania Trump at QVC Red Carpet Style Party 2011 Knavs began modeling at five years old and started doing commercial work at sixteen when she posed for the Slovenian fashion photographer Stane Jerko 25 26 When she began working as a model she adapted the Slovene version of her last name Knavs to the German version Knauss 27 At eighteen Knauss signed with a modeling agency in Milan Italy 28 In 1992 she was named runner up in the Jana Magazine Look of the Year contest held in Ljubljana which promised its top three contestants an international modeling contract 3 29 After attending the University of Ljubljana for one year 30 Knauss modeled for fashion houses in Paris and Milan where in 1995 she met Metropolitan Models co owner Paolo Zampolli a friend of her future husband Donald Trump who was on a scouting trip in Europe Zampolli urged her to travel to the U S where he said he would like to represent her 9 In 1996 Knauss moved to Manhattan 9 29 28 31 He arranged for her to share an apartment with photographer Matthew Atanian in Zeckendorf Towers in Union Square 9 Knauss was featured in a sexually explicit photo shoot for the January 1996 issue of Max a now defunct French men s magazine with Emma Eriksson another female model photos shot by the photographer Alexandre Ale de Basseville 32 She also posed nude for the January 2000 UK edition of GQ magazine appearing on the cover naked except for diamond jewelry reclining on fur aboard Trump s custom fitted Boeing 727 33 When asked about the photos in 2016 Donald Trump said Melania was one of the most successful models and she did many photo shoots including for covers and major magazines The Max photo was a picture taken for a European magazine prior to my knowing Melania In Europe pictures like this are very fashionable and common 34 35 In 2010 Melania launched her own line of jewelry Melania Timepieces and Jewelry for sale on QVC 36 She also marketed a Melania Marks Skin Care Collection at high end department stores 37 38 According to a financial filing in 2016 her businesses brought in between US 15 000 and US 50 000 in royalties that year 39 In 2017 the two manufacturers of her jewelry and skincare products under license said they had terminated their relationship with her 38 On inauguration day her companies and products were listed in her official White House biography but were quickly removed 36 A White House spokesperson said her companies are no longer active and the First Lady has no intention of using her position for profit and will not do so 38 In 2021 she launched a non fungible token endeavour 40 Acquisition of United States citizenship Donald Trump and Melania Knauss in 1999 In 1996 Knauss came to the United States from Slovenia on a visitor s visa and was paid for 10 modeling jobs during the seven weeks before she obtained an H 1B work visa 41 this was illegal under the terms of said visa In March 2001 while she was dating Donald Trump she was granted permanent residency under the EB 1 program for people with extraordinary abilities 42 According to information from the Migration Policy Institute only 2 percent of people in their field would be expected to qualify 43 The Washington Post in 2018 reported that at that time Knauss s credentials included runway shows in Europe a Camel cigarette billboard ad in Times Square and in her biggest job at the time a spot in the swimsuit edition of Sports Illustrated which featured her on the beach in a string bikini hugging a six foot inflatable whale 42 43 44 In the analysis by Joel Gunter of the BBC Melania Trump does not appear at the time to have excelled in a niche area of modelling nor won awards or had her work written about in significant publications Gunter reports a conjecture that S he may have been boosted by high profile testimonial letters said Nita Upadhye a U S immigration specialist at NNU Immigration Law Testimonials form part of the application and the more high profile the reference the more weight it carries If Mrs Trump already dating Mr Trump at the time she applied secured letters from luminaries in fashion that would be significant Ms Upadhye said 42 During the months that she campaigned with her husband prior to his successful bid for the presidency Melania Trump defended his hard line on immigration practices and laws by stating that her own path and achievement of citizenship had been legal unlike those of the individuals her husband was campaigning against However investigative reporting done by the Associated Press revealed that she had been paid for 10 modeling jobs she had done before she had obtained her H 1B work visa and was still living in the U S using her visitor visa The Associated Press wrote that Foreigners are not allowed to use a visitor visa to work for pay in the United States for American companies Doing so would violate the terms of that visa and could prohibit a foreigner from later changing his or her immigration status in the United States or bar the foreigner from the United States again without special permission to come back 41 After she became a citizen in July 2006 1 Trump sponsored her parents Viktor and Amalija Knavs using the chain migration immigration process that her husband later repeatedly criticized 45 46 The Knavs became citizens in August 2018 five years after they acquired permanent residency 45 47 Relationship with Donald TrumpEarly relationship Kylie Bax Donald Trump Bill Clinton at that time the president of the United States and Melania Knauss future Trump at the US Open in 2000 Flushing New York In September 1998 Knauss met then real estate mogul Donald Trump at a party and the couple began dating 48 while the latter was in the process of divorcing his second wife Marla Maples The divorce was finalized in 1999 49 50 Knauss continued her modeling career 9 with her American magazine cover shoots including In Style Weddings 51 New York magazine Avenue 52 Philadelphia Style 53 and Vanity Fair Spain 54 In 1999 the couple gained attention after a lewd interview with shock jock Howard Stern on his show 6 55 They appeared together while Trump campaigned for the 2000 Reform Party presidential nomination When asked by The New York Times what her role would be were he to become president she replied I would be very traditional like Betty Ford or Jackie Kennedy 56 Marriage The two became engaged in 2004 On January 22 2005 they married in an Anglican service at the Episcopal Church of Bethesda by the Sea in Palm Beach Florida followed by a reception in the ballroom at her husband s Mar a Lago estate 57 58 The marriage was her first and his third The event was attended by celebrities such as Katie Couric Matt Lauer former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani Heidi Klum Star Jones P Diddy Shaquille O Neal Barbara Walters Conrad Black Regis Philbin Simon Cowell Kelly Ripa Senator Hillary Clinton and former President Bill Clinton 58 59 At the reception Billy Joel serenaded the crowd with Just the Way You Are and supplied new lyrics to the tune of The Lady Is a Tramp 58 The bride wore a US 200 000 dress made by John Galliano of the house of Christian Dior 58 and the ceremony and reception were widely covered by the media 31 including a Vogue cover which featured her in her wedding gown 60 On March 20 2006 she gave birth to their son Barron William Trump 61 She chose his middle name while her husband chose his first name 62 She also has four stepchildren stepsons Donald Trump Jr and Eric Trump and stepdaughter Ivanka Trump from Donald s first marriage to Ivana Zelnickova She has another stepdaughter Tiffany Trump from his second marriage to Marla Maples Role in 2016 presidential campaign Main article Donald Trump 2016 presidential campaign Melania gives the thumbs up at a campaign event with her husband Donald and son Barron November 2015 In November 2015 she was asked about her husband s presidential campaign and replied I encouraged him because I know what he will do and what he can do for America He loves the American people and he wants to help them 63 She played a relatively small role in the campaign which is atypical of spouses of presidential candidates 64 65 66 According to Washington Post s Mary Jordan however Melania was one of Trump s biggest supporters and continues to be a sounding board to him 67 In 2016 Melania told CNN her focus as first lady would be to help women and children She also said she would combat cyberbullying especially among children 68 In July 2016 her official website was redirected to trump com On Twitter she stated that her site was outdated and did not accurately reflect her current business and professional interests 69 2016 RNC and plagiarism concerns On July 18 2016 Melania Trump gave a speech at the 2016 Republican National Convention It contained a paragraph that was nearly identical to a paragraph of Michelle Obama s speech at the 2008 Democratic National Convention 70 71 72 When asked about it Melania said she wrote the speech herself with as little help as possible 73 Two days later Trump staff writer Meredith McIver took responsibility and apologized for the confusion 74 Melania was again accused of plagiarizing Michelle Obama s speeches when as part of her Be Best campaign in 2018 she gave a speech that appeared to closely echo remarks by Michelle Obama in 2016 and also distributed a written pamphlet that was nearly identical to one published by the Obama administration in 2014 75 76 Lawsuit against Daily Mail and General Trust In February 2017 she sued Daily Mail and General Trust the owner of the Daily Mail a British tabloid seeking US 150 million in damages over an August 2016 article that alleged that she had worked for an escort service during her modeling days The lawsuit stated the article had ruined her unique once in a lifetime opportunity to establish multimillion dollar business relationships for a multi year term during which Plaintiff is one of the most photographed women in the world 77 Her claim raised potential ethical questions with its implication that she intended to profit from being first lady 78 On February 18 2017 the lawsuit was amended removing the language about her earning potential and focusing instead on emotional distress 79 In April 2017 the parties settled the lawsuit and the Daily Mail issued a statement that said We accept that these allegations about Mrs Trump are not true and we retract and withdraw them The Mail agreed to pay her US 2 9 million 80 81 Statement on bullying Five days before the election she told a crowd of supporters in Pennsylvania Our culture has gotten too mean and too rough especially to children and teenagers It is never okay when a 12 year old girl or boy is mocked bullied or attacked It is terrible when that happens on the playground And it is absolutely unacceptable when it is done by someone with no name hiding on the Internet 82 Regarding the contrast of her platform with her husband s use of Twitter during his campaign Melania said shortly after the election that she had rebuked him all the time but that he will do what he wants to do in the end 83 First Lady of the United States 2017 2021 Donald and Melania at the Liberty Ball on Inauguration Day January 20 2017 She assumed the role of first lady of the United States on January 20 2017 84 85 continuing to live in Manhattan at the Trump Tower with their son Barron until the end of his 2016 2017 school year at Columbia Grammar amp Preparatory School 86 87 A 2020 biography by Washington Post reporter Mary Jordan revealed that Melania stayed in New York to negotiate more favorable terms in her prenuptial agreement from Trump for her and their son 67 Of Trump s inauguration Vogue compared Melania s wardrobe to those of Jacqueline Kennedy and Nancy Reagan writing that Melania closely works with her stylist designer Herve Pierre preferring strongly tailored pieces in bold colors and wearing almost exclusively high end designers 88 89 She and Barron moved into the White House in Washington D C on June 11 2017 90 Her Secret Service code name is Muse beginning with the same letter as Trump s code name Mogul per Secret Service tradition 91 She is the second foreign born woman to hold the title of first lady after Louisa Adams wife of John Quincy Adams who was born in 1775 in London to a father from Maryland and an English mother 92 93 She is also the first naturalized citizen rather than birthright citizen to hold the title and the first whose native language is not English 94 Though it has frequently been reported that Trump speaks up to five foreign languages fluently evidence has shown that when speaking French or Italian her speech has been limited to basic greetings 95 According to an unauthorized biography she was well liked by her staffers is cordial to Ivanka Trump and is not close to Mike Pence s wife Karen Pence 96 On March 8 2017 she hosted her first White House event a luncheon for International Women s Day She spoke to an audience of women about her life as a female immigrant and about working towards gender equality both domestically and abroad noting the role of education as a tool against gender inequality 97 98 99 In January 2018 The Wall Street Journal reported that during a three month period when she lived in New York in 2017 she took Air Force jet flights between New York City Florida and Washington at a cost of more than US 675 000 to taxpayers 100 101 In comparison former first lady Michelle Obama s solo travel cost an average of about US 350 000 per year 100 101 Melania Trump express her condolences to the family of El Paso shooting victims Jordan and Andre Anchondo on August 7 2019 On March 13 2018 Trump scheduled a March 20 2018 meeting with policy executives from technology companies including Amazon Facebook Google Snap and Twitter to address online harassment and Internet safety with a particular focus on how those issues affect children 102 Trump s office has avoided the use of the term cyberbullying 102 and Trump has come under criticism for championing Internet civility while her husband s Internet behavior has been noted as uncivil 102 103 Trump attended the roundtable event focusing on how children are affected by modern technology Trump said I am well aware that people are skeptical of me discussing this topic but that will not stop me from doing what I know is right 104 Melania took an active role in planning the Trump administration s first state dinner on April 23 2018 to honor French president Emmanuel Macron 105 With Brigitte Macron the French president s wife Trump visited a Paul Cezanne exhibit at the National Gallery of Art in Washington the day before 106 107 108 On June 17 2018 Melania referred to the Trump administration s zero tolerance policy at the border with Mexico where children were being separated from their parents She stated that she hates to see children separated from their families and wants there to be successful immigration reform 109 On June 21 2018 she made a hastily planned trip to Texas to one of the locations at which the Trump Administration s family separation policy was being carried out She attended a roundtable with doctors medical staff social workers and other experts at Upbring New Hope Children s Shelter 110 On the way to the border facility she caused controversy by wearing a jacket that read I don t really care do u After much speculation about the jacket s message including criticism that she may have been expressing indifference toward the families separated at the border Trump stated that the jacket was aimed at people and left wing media who were criticizing her 111 In October 2018 Trump took a four nation solo tour of Africa without her husband focusing on conservation and children and families visiting Ghana Malawi Kenya and Egypt 112 On November 13 2018 Trump issued an extraordinary public statement calling for the firing of Deputy National Security Advisor Mira Ricardel She had reportedly been privately pushing for her ouster for weeks why The next day it was announced that Ricardel would transition to a new role within the Administration 113 It was described as unusual for a first lady to be publicly involved in White House personnel decisions 114 After the El Paso shooting in Texas on August 3 2019 in which a lone gunman killed 23 people and injured 23 others Melania and President Trump visited the hospital where eight of the survivors were being cared for The couple met with the families of survivors hospital staff and first responders and posed with a baby who had been orphaned when both of his parents were killed The White House had asked that the child be brought in and he was accompanied by his uncle 115 116 117 Melania ended her tenure by agreeing with Donald that he was the legitimate winner of the 2020 election despite his loss She did not contact incoming first lady Jill Biden to make transition arrangements or provide her the traditional tour of the White House 118 Melania never felt comfortable in Washington reported The New York Times citing people who knew her 118 On October 1 2020 Stephanie Winston Wolkoff a former friend and senior adviser to the first lady released audiotapes on the CNN show Anderson Cooper 360 of Melania allegedly expressing controversial and profane statements regarding her frustration with the media her image and role as first lady 119 120 The Trump Justice Department filed a civil suit against Wolkoff in October 2019 alleging breach of a nondisclosure agreement which the Biden Justice Department dropped in February 2021 121 In September 2022 Trump claimed that the audiotapes were edited to strategically make people believe that her duties in the White House were not important to her 122 Be Best campaign Main article Be Best The Trumps at the announcement of the First Lady s Be Best initiative May 2018 On May 7 2018 Trump formally started the Be Best public awareness campaign which focused on well being for youth and advocated against cyberbullying and drug use 123 The campaign was accompanied by a booklet that was promoted as having been written By First Lady Melania Trump and the Federal Trade Commission FTC but it was nearly identical to a document first published in 2014 by the FTC 124 The similarities prompted accusations of plagiarism to which her office responded by admonishing the press for reporting on the issue 125 The fact checking site Snopes found the charge of plagiarism Mostly False saying Melania Trump did not claim she had written the pamphlet herself and she contributed an introduction to a slightly revised version of the booklet The FTC was always credited for the creation of the booklet and supported its inclusion in the first lady s Be Best campaign 126 In December 2019 Be Best became a trending topic on Twitter after Melania s husband Donald used Twitter to mock teenage environmental activist Greta Thunberg A week before the incident Melania had criticized academic Pamela Karlan for making comments about Barron stating that A minor child deserves privacy and should be kept out of politics 127 Approval ratings During her husband s 2016 campaign Trump was the least popular presidential candidate spouse in modern polling 128 As First Lady she managed to improve her favorability ratings from 2016 to mid 2018 129 She reached a peak of 57 approval in May 2018 per CNN polling shortly after her first state dinner and her presence at the funeral of former first lady Barbara Bush without her husband Donald 130 In December 2018 CNN reported that Melania s strongest base of support came from older white male Republicans and conservatives while she had the least approval from women who were young or college educated 131 In March 2019 YouGov reported that Melania with 51 approval was polling more popularly among the American public than other members of her family her husband Donald step children Donald Jr Eric and Ivanka and her stepson in law Jared Kushner 132 In August 2020 Morning Consult in conjunction with Politico reported that Melania with 45 approval was polling more favorably among the American public than any other Republican figures listed in the survey including her family members Vice President Mike Pence Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell and House minority leader Kevin McCarthy 133 In Gallup s annual poll of the most admired women Trump ranked in the top ten each of her years as first lady but never topped the list She joins Bess Truman and Lady Bird Johnson as the only American first ladies who have never been named the most admired woman in this survey since Gallup began conducting the annual survey in the 1940s 134 Melania finished her tenure in 2021 as the least popular first lady ever polled according to polling by CNN SRSS and Gallup Her final approval rating was 42 and her final disapproval rating was 47 she was the only first lady who finished with a net disapproval rating Previous first ladies since the 1970s had final popularity ratings of 71 on average The second least popular first lady polled was Hillary Clinton with a final approval rating of 52 and a final disapproval rating of 39 135 Personal life Melania Trump with Pope Francis the Vatican May 2017 Religion When the president and first lady visited Vatican City in May 2017 she identified as Catholic She was the first Catholic to live in the White House since President John F Kennedy and his wife Jacqueline and was the second Catholic first lady of the United States 136 137 When she visited the Vatican Pope Francis blessed her rosary beads and she placed flowers at the feet of a statue of the Madonna at the Vatican s Bambino Gesu children s hospital 138 Health On May 14 2018 she underwent an embolization which is a minimally invasive procedure that deliberately blocks a blood vessel 139 in order to treat a benign kidney condition The procedure was reported successful and without complications 140 In October 2020 both Donald and Melania tested positive for SARS CoV 2 and immediately quarantined 141 142 143 Melania experienced only mild symptoms 144 Cultural depictionsMain article Cultural depictions of Melania TrumpFootnotes Hannah Van Buren wife of Martin Van Buren was a native Dutch speaker However she died before her husband became president and was never first lady References a b Jamieson Amber August 5 2016 Melania Trump denies working unlawfully as model in US on improper visa The Guardian Archived from the original on January 14 2021 Retrieved September 8 2020 On Thursday Melania Trump s statement concluded In July 2006 I proudly became a US citizen Over the past 20 years I have been fortunate to live work and raise a family in this great nation and I share my husband s love for our country The Trump campaign did not immediately respond Melania Trump votes in N Y primary The Washington Post April 19 2016 Archived from the original on April 30 2019 Retrieved June 14 2018 a b Collins Lauren May 9 2016 The Model American Melania Trump is the exception to her husband s nativist politics The New Yorker Archived from the original on November 19 2018 Retrieved May 3 2016 O Melaniji je prvi porocal Dolenjski list The First to Report about Melania was Dolenjski List Dolenjski list Lower Carniola Newspaper in Slovenian November 10 2016 Archived from the original on November 11 2016 Retrieved November 11 2016 Melania Trump Biography Model 1970 Biography com FYI A amp E Networks Archived from the original on November 21 2016 Retrieved November 22 2016 a b Greenhouse Emily August 17 2015 Vitamins amp Caviar Getting to Know Melania Trump Bloomberg Politics Archived from the original on August 30 2015 Retrieved September 4 2015 Tednik CELJAN Celjan si Archived from the original on May 13 2016 Retrieved November 25 2011 Melania Trump Slovenian Model Legend April 13 2016 Archived from the original on July 17 2016 Retrieved April 20 2016 a b c d e Peretz Evgenia April 21 2017 Inside the Trump Marriage Melania s Burden Vanity Fair Archived from the original on July 18 2017 Klein Betsy February 22 2017 Melania Trump s sister shows rare behind the scenes look on social media CNN Archived from the original on June 26 2018 Retrieved June 26 2018 Knauss an artist has also shared throwback images of her own fashion designs Denton Elizabeth April 10 2017 Meet Ines Knauss Melania Trump s Mostly Unknown Sister Allure Archived from the original on June 26 2018 Retrieved June 26 2018 The paper found that Trump s sister is an artist and her Facebook page is filled with her work including sketches and paintings Melania Trump s secret weapon revealed big sister Ines Knauss The Australian February 22 2017 Archived from the original on January 14 2021 Retrieved June 26 2018 Ines Knauss has lived close to Melania for two decades and is a longtime confidant of the First Lady Dewast Louise A Glimpse of Melania Trump s Childhood in Slovenia Archived July 8 2016 at the Wayback Machine ABC News March 7 2016 Rapkin Mickey May 17 2016 Lady and the Trump Du Jour Archived from the original on July 15 2017 Retrieved August 28 2016 Jordan Mary September 30 2015 Meet Melania Trump a New Model for First Lady The Washington Post Archived from the original on October 3 2015 Retrieved October 1 2015 A Crash Course on Ms Trump CBS News Archived November 19 2016 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved October 11 2016 Wellington Elizabeth May 25 2017 Melania Trump only the second Catholic first lady to meet a pope Archived from the original on May 25 2017 Retrieved May 25 2017 Trump s father was a member of the Communist Party in Slovenia which meant the family were officially atheists Donald Trump is Presbyterian the couple married in an Episcopal church Pozar Bojan February 18 2016 Melania Trump The Inside Story The Potential First Lady Zalozba Ombo d o o Ljubljana pp 111 113 Melanija Knavs was baptized on 14 June 1970 in Raka the village where her mother came from The church was called St Lawrence the master of ceremony was pastor Franc Campa Her sister Ines had also been baptized there and there had been a church service following the official civil marriage of her parents in 1967 Pozar p 94 This was all not in accordance with what was officially allowed to members of the Communist Party but it was nevertheless quite common to do it secretly Alvarez Inma Vombergar Marko June 5 2017 Melania Trump spoke with Slovenian cardinal about her baptism Aleteia Archived from the original on June 5 2017 Retrieved June 14 2017 In the interview the cardinal reports that Melania spoke with him of her baptism in Raka her mother s hometown close to Melania s birthplace of Novo Mesto Melania Trump s Past Took Her From A River Town In Slovenia To Trump Tower Archived February 15 2016 at the Wayback Machine HuffPost February 12 2016 Horowitz Jason July 18 2016 Melania Trump From Small Town Slovenia to Doorstep of White House The New York Times Archived from the original on March 3 2017 Retrieved March 2 2017 Kessler Glenn and Michelle Ye Hee Lee Fact checking the second day of the 2016 Republican National Convention Archived July 21 2016 at the Wayback Machine The Washington Post June 19 2016 the University of Ljubljana confirmed that Melania dropped out of college before obtaining a degree Lauren Collins May 9 2016 The Model American Melania Trump is the exception to her husband s nativist politics The New Yorker Archived from the original on November 19 2018 Retrieved May 3 2016 Her Web site states that she obtained a degree in architecture and design from the University of Ljubljana when in fact she dropped out in her first year Morona Joey Melania Trump didn t graduate from college as bio claims reports say Archived July 22 2016 at the Wayback Machine Cleveland Plain Dealer July 19 2016 Her bio on her official website states she graduated with a degree in design and architecture from University in Slovenia It s a claim that s been repeated by the Trump campaign and the Republican National Committee in the Republican Convention s official program Melania Trump Juggles Motherhood Marriage and a Career Just Like Us Parenting com Archived from the original on January 14 2017 Retrieved July 18 2020 Stane Jerko Fotograf ki Je odkril Melanijo Stane Jerko the Photographer Who Discovered Melania in Slovenian April 24 2016 Archived from the original on November 9 2016 Retrieved July 18 2020 10 Things You Should Know About Melania Trump The Fiscal Times Archived from the original on January 25 2017 Retrieved January 20 2017 a b Charles Marissa August 16 2015 Melania Trump would be a First Lady for the Ages New York Post Archived from the original on June 1 2017 Retrieved August 17 2015 a b Ioffe Julia April 27 2016 Melania Trump on Her Rise Her Family Secrets and Her True Political Views Nobody Will Ever Know GQ Archived from the original on September 6 2017 Retrieved April 29 2016 Melania Trump Biography Encyclopaedia Britannica April 22 2022 a b Melania Knauss Biography Star Pulse Archived from the original on May 25 2011 Retrieved May 2 2011 Donald Trump responds to Melania s newly surfaced racy photo shoot Fox News August 1 2016 Archived from the original on January 14 2021 Retrieved June 18 2019 Melania Trump the First Lady in our nude photo shoot GQ November 8 2016 Archived from the original on June 18 2019 Retrieved June 18 2019 Melania Trump s girl on girl photos from racy shoot revealed New York Post August 1 2016 Archived from the original on June 7 2019 Retrieved June 10 2019 Melania Trump like you ve never seen her before New York Post July 30 2016 Archived from the original on June 7 2019 Retrieved June 10 2019 a b Snell Kelsey January 20 2017 White House website promotes Melania Trump s modeling and jewelry line The Washington Post Chicago Tribune Archived from the original on July 4 2018 Retrieved July 3 2018 Friedman Lindsay February 25 2016 Melania Trump s Business Leanings and 4 Other Things You Should Know About the Potential First Lady Entrepreneur Magazine Archived from the original on November 8 2017 Retrieved November 8 2017 a b c Hall Kevin G February 22 2017 White House says Melania isn t in business So why are her companies still active McClatchy Archived from the original on July 4 2018 Retrieved July 3 2018 O Callaghan Lauren July 21 2017 Melania Trump net worth revealed Donald Trump s wife sitting on THIS much cash The Express Archived from the original on July 4 2018 Retrieved July 3 2018 Melania Trump launches NFT venture promising an amulet to inspire The Guardian December 16 2021 Retrieved June 15 2022 a b Caldwell Alicia Day Chad Pearson Jake November 5 2016 Melania Trump Modeled in US Prior to Getting Work Visa Associated Press Retrieved April 24 2022 a b c Gunter Joel March 2 2018 What is the Einstein visa And how did Melania Trump get one BBC Archived from the original on August 3 2019 Retrieved May 27 2020 Mrs Trump began applying for the visa in 2000 when she was Melania Knauss a Slovenian model working in New York and dating Donald Trump She was approved in 2001 a b Lieu Amy March 2 2018 Melania Trump entered US with Einstein visa for those with extraordinary ability Fox News Archived from the original on December 22 2019 Retrieved May 27 2020 Questions linger about how Melania Trump a Slovenian model scored the Einstein visa The Washington Post February 28 2018 Archived from the original on July 8 2019 Retrieved June 18 2019 a b Correal Annie Cocharne Emily August 9 2018 Melania Trump s Parents Become U S Citizens Using Chain Migration Trump Hates The New York Times Retrieved April 24 2022 Bennett Kate July 15 2019 Melania Trump silent as her husband attacks congresswomen by implying they aren t US citizens CNN Archived from the original on July 19 2019 Retrieved July 20 2019 First lady Melania Trump sponsored parents green card application Sources ABC News August 9 2018 Archived from the original on January 14 2021 Retrieved September 8 2020 Viktor and Amalija Knavs were naturalized as U S citizens on Thursday Horowitz Jason When Donald Met Melanie Paolo Was There The New York Times Archived from the original on November 17 2017 Retrieved December 29 2017 After The Gold Rush Vanity Fair September 1 1990 Archived from the original on January 12 2016 Retrieved September 1 2016 It s a Wedding Blitz for Trump and Maples The New York Times December 21 1993 Archived from the original on June 8 2019 Retrieved June 21 2019 Melania Trump InStyle Weddings Magazine United States March 2005 FamousFix FamousFix com Archived from the original on August 19 2020 Retrieved May 17 2019 cover of Avenue magazine Archived from the original on April 4 2017 Retrieved April 3 2017 cover of Philadelphia Style Archived from the original on April 4 2017 Retrieved April 3 2017 cover for Vanity Fair Archived from the original on February 13 2017 Retrieved April 3 2017 Melania Trump The unusual traditional First Lady BBC February 9 2017 Archived from the original on July 10 2018 Retrieved June 25 2018 Wadler Joyce December 2 1999 A Supermodel at the White House New Straits Times Archived from the original on June 9 2020 Retrieved September 4 2015 Donnelly Shannon January 23 2005 Donald Trump wedding Vow wow Palm Beach Daily News Archived from the original on November 25 2016 Retrieved November 25 2016 The beauty of The Episcopal Church of Bethesda by the Sea was unadorned with only giant bows fashioned from orchids and white roses at the end of each pew and simple but elegant white arrangements on the candlelit altar The bride walked down the aisle carrying only an ancient rosary not to Lohengrin or Wagner but to a vocalist singing Ave Maria in an exquisite soprano voice The Reverend Ralph R Warren performed the traditional Episcopalian service at the landmark church which was filled to capacity a b c d Stoynoff Natasha January 23 2005 Donald Trump Weds Melania Knauss People Archived from the original on July 24 2015 Retrieved August 17 2015 Gillin Joshua July 21 2015 The Clintons really did attend Donald Trump s 2005 wedding Politifact Tampa Bay Times Miami Herald Archived from the original on August 27 2015 Retrieved August 21 2015 cover of Vogue Archived from the original on February 13 2017 Retrieved April 3 2017 The Donald s youngest son Barron Chicago Tribune Archived from the original on September 22 2017 Retrieved July 18 2017 Schneider Karen S May 1 2006 Billion Dollar Baby He Has Mom s Eyes Dad s Lips His Own Floor in Trump Tower and Doting Parents Welcome to the World of Barron William Trump People Archived from the original on September 25 2015 Retrieved September 7 2015 Effron Lauren November 20 2015 Why You Don t See Donald Trump s Wife Melania Out on the Campaign Trail ABC News Archived from the original on July 19 2016 Retrieved August 3 2016 Dickson Rebecca July 17 2016 Melania Trump anything but the typical candidate s wife Archived from the original on November 13 2016 Retrieved November 10 2016 After convention stumble Melania Trump has largely vanished from campaign The Washington Post Archived from the original on November 11 2016 Retrieved November 10 2016 Melania Trump makes first solo campaign appearance in Philadelphia News DW COM 3 November 2016 dw com Deutsche Welle Archived from the original on November 11 2016 Retrieved November 10 2016 a b Haberman Maggie June 20 2020 Book Says Melania Trump Delayed Washington Move as Negotiating Tack The New York Times Archived from the original on January 14 2021 Retrieved September 8 2020 Bradner Eric November 4 2016 Melania Trump Ending social media bullying would be focus as first lady CNN Archived from the original on November 10 2016 Retrieved November 11 2016 Tynan Dan July 29 2016 Melania no more why did Donald Trump take down his wife s website The Guardian Archived from the original on August 26 2016 Retrieved August 28 2016 Tumulty Karen Costa Robert Del Real Jose July 19 2016 Scrutiny of Melania Trump s speech follows plagiarism allegations The Washington Post Archived from the original on July 20 2016 Retrieved July 19 2016 Bump Philip July 19 2016 Melania Trump s speech appears to have cribbed from Michelle Obama s in 2008 The Washington Post Archived from the original on July 20 2016 Retrieved July 19 2016 Haberman Maggie Rappeport Alan Healy Patrick July 19 2016 Melania Trump s Speech Bears Striking Similarities to Michelle Obama s in 2008 The New York Times Archived from the original on July 19 2016 Retrieved July 19 2016 Stump Scott July 19 2016 Melania Trump On Convention Speech I Wrote It with as Little Help as Possible Today Archived from the original on July 19 2016 Retrieved July 19 2016 Sullivan Sean Stanley Becker Issac July 20 2016 Cruz Doesn t Endorse Trump in Convention Speech Prompting Boos and Drama Politics The Washington Post Archived from the original on July 21 2016 Retrieved August 4 2016 Michelle Ruiz May 8 2018 Did Melania Trump Plagiarize the Obamas Again Vogue Archived from the original on January 14 2021 Retrieved June 13 2020 Ashley Hoffman May 7 2018 People Have a Lot of Feelings About Melania Trump s New Cyberbullying Initiative Time Archived from the original on June 10 2020 Retrieved June 13 2020 Puente Maria February 7 2017 Melanie Trump s Daily Mail Lawsuit A FLOTUS First USA Today Archived from the original on February 10 2017 Retrieved February 10 2017 Reid Paula February 7 2017 Melania Trump libel suit settled another filed CBS News Archived from the original on February 9 2017 Retrieved February 10 2017 Bennett Kate February 22 2017 Melania Trump drops controversial language from 150 million defamation suit CNN Archived from the original on March 19 2017 Retrieved March 16 2017 UK s Daily Mail to Pay Melania Trump Damages over Modeling Claims Reuters April 12 2017 Archived from the original on April 12 2017 Retrieved April 12 2017 Paiella Gabriella April 12 2017 Melania Trump s Daily Mail Lawsuit Settled for 2 9 Million Out Archived from the original on April 12 2017 Retrieved April 12 2017 Zorthian Julia November 3 2016 Read Melania Trump s Campaign Speech Addressing Cyberbullying Time New York City Archived from the original on November 10 2016 Retrieved November 11 2016 Flores Reena November 13 2016 Melania Trump rebukes her husband all the time for Twitter use CBS News Archived from the original on November 14 2016 Retrieved November 14 2016 Diamond Jeremy November 10 2016 America meet your new first lady CNN Archived from the original on November 20 2016 Retrieved November 20 2016 Louisa Adams First Ladies History American TV network Archived from the original on October 26 2016 Retrieved November 19 2016 Melania Barron Trump to remain in NYC until end of school year Fox News Channel November 20 2016 Archived from the original on November 28 2016 Retrieved November 29 2016 Andrews Dyer Helena November 20 2016 Donald Trump confirms that wife Melania and son Barron will stay in New York after the presidential inauguration The Washington Post Archived from the original on November 21 2016 Retrieved November 20 2016 Barsamian Edward July 30 2017 Melania Trump Redefining First Lady Style Vogue Archived from the original on January 12 2018 Retrieved January 11 2018 Liao Marina Keeping Up With Melania Trump s Outfits Popsugar Popsugar Archived from the original on January 12 2018 Retrieved January 11 2018 Johnson Alex June 11 2017 First Lady Melania Trump Son Barron 11 Move Into the White House NBC News Archived from the original on June 12 2017 Retrieved June 12 2017 Watkins Eli November 26 2016 Here are the Secret Service code names for Trump Pence CNN Archived from the original on January 26 2017 Retrieved March 18 2017 Melania to be 1st foreign born First Lady since 1820s The Hindu November 9 2016 Archived from the original on November 15 2016 Retrieved November 9 2016 US election Trump children who is the new first family BBC News November 9 2016 Archived from the original on November 10 2016 Retrieved November 9 2016 The mysterious life of first lady Melania Trump a former supermodel who is the subject of fashion scandals and bizarre conspiracy theories Business Insider Archived from the original on January 14 2021 Retrieved December 18 2020 No Melania Trump doesn t want to be free The Washington Post June 14 2020 Archived from the original on January 14 2021 Retrieved December 18 2020 Jordan also discovered that there is no evidence to back up the first lady s claims to speak five languages Melania knows a few words in Italian and French including bonjour and ciao but has never demonstrated fluency in any language but English and her native Slovene Egan Elizabeth December 2 2019 6 Takeaways From Melania Trump s Unauthorized Biography The New York Times Archived from the original on January 14 2021 Retrieved September 8 2020 Betsy Klein Kate Bennett First lady touts equality at International Women s Day luncheon CNN Archived from the original on March 9 2017 Retrieved March 10 2017 First Lady Melania Trump Hosts a Luncheon for International Women s Day Cosmopolitan March 9 2017 Archived from the original on March 9 2017 Retrieved March 10 2017 Melania Trump recalls her immigrant past as she pushes for equality on International Women s Day The Telegraph Archived from the original on March 9 2017 Retrieved March 10 2017 a b Grimaldi James V Nicholas Peter January 29 2018 Melania Trump s Military Flights Before Her Move to Washington Cost More Than 675 000 The Wall Street Journal ISSN 0099 9660 Archived from the original on January 29 2018 Retrieved January 29 2018 a b Savransky Rebecca January 29 2018 Melania Trump s military flights while living in New York cost more than 675 000 report TheHill Archived from the original on January 29 2018 Retrieved January 29 2018 a b c Romm Tony March 13 2018 Melania Trump will meet with tech giants including Facebook and Google to talk cyberbullying The Washington Post ISSN 0190 8286 Archived from the original on March 15 2018 Retrieved March 15 2018 Kimmel Melania Trump emerges after Winter Stormy Daniels to renew cyberbullying crusade Archived from the original on March 15 2018 Retrieved March 15 2018 Bennett Kate Melania Trump addresses critics head on CNN Archived from the original on April 24 2018 Retrieved April 23 2018 Melania Trump s first state dinner will feature a nod to the Clintons Archived from the original on April 24 2018 Retrieved April 23 2018 de Royer Solenn April 27 2018 Les confidences de Brigitte Macron a Washington Le Monde Archived from the original on April 27 2018 Retrieved April 28 2018 Henley Jon April 27 2018 Brigitte Macron lauds really fun Melania Trump but says she can t go outside The Guardian Archived from the original on April 28 2018 Retrieved April 28 2018 Sampathkumar Mythili April 27 2018 Brigitte Macron says Melania Trump is really fun but can t even go outside The Independent Archived from the original on April 28 2018 Retrieved April 28 2018 US child migrants First ladies speak out on Trump separation policy BBC News June 18 2018 Archived from the original on June 18 2018 Retrieved October 10 2020 Bennett Kate Melania Trump makes surprise visit to border facilities CNN Archived from the original on June 21 2018 Retrieved June 21 2018 Klein Betsy Tatum Sophie October 13 2018 Melania Trump I was blindsided by zero tolerance immigration policy CNN Archived from the original on November 9 2020 Retrieved July 31 2022 You know I often asking myself I would not wear that if I would have so much media coverage It s obvious I didn t wear the jacket for the children I wore the jacket to go on the plane and off the plane And it was for the people and for the left wing media who are criticizing me she said Superville Darlene October 5 2018 Melania Trump Dances With Children at Kenyan Orphanage on Africa Tour Time New York City New York Archived from the original on November 9 2018 Retrieved November 3 2018 Restuccia Andrew Oprysko Caitlin November 14 2018 White House dumps senior official after clash with Melania Trump Politico Archived from the original on November 15 2018 Retrieved November 15 2018 Shesgreen Dierdre November 14 2018 President Trump reassigns Mira Ricardel the deputy national security adviser the first lady wanted fired USA Today Archived from the original on November 15 2018 Retrieved November 15 2018 Helmore Edward August 9 2019 Anger as grinning Trump gives thumbs up while Melania holds El Paso orphan The Guardian Archived from the original on August 12 2019 Retrieved August 12 2019 Collins Kaitlan Trump laments coverage as aides concede visits to mourning cities didn t go as planned CNN Archived from the original on August 12 2019 Retrieved August 13 2019 El Paso Shooting Victim Dies Months Later Death Toll Now 23 The New York Times April 26 2020 Archived from the original on April 27 2020 Retrieved April 26 2020 a b Rogers Katie Haberman Maggie January 19 2021 Melania Trump s Legacy Missteps Mystery and in the End Absence The New York Times Archived from the original on January 19 2021 Kelly Caroline Secretly recorded tapes show Melania Trump s frustration at criticism for family separation policy and her bashing of Christmas decorations CNN Archived from the original on October 8 2020 Retrieved October 2 2020 Shear Michael D October 2 2020 In Profane Rant Melania Trump Takes Aim at Migrant Children and Critics The New York Times Archived from the original on January 14 2021 Retrieved October 2 2020 Biden Admin DOJ Drops Lawsuit Against Melania Trump s Ex Friend Stephanie Winston Wolkoff February 9 2021 Poonia Gitanjali September 21 2022 Melania Trump once critical of White House decorating now selling Christmas ornaments Deseret News Retrieved October 13 2022 Melania Trump launches BE BEST awareness campaign for kids San Francisco Chronicle Archived from the original on May 8 2018 Retrieved May 7 2018 Smith David May 8 2018 Melania Trump in new plagiarism row over online safety pamphlet The Guardian Archived from the original on May 22 2018 Retrieved May 8 2018 As Melania Trump Faces Plagiarism Claims Her Staff Lashes Out at News Media The New York Times May 8 2018 ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on July 11 2019 Retrieved May 8 2018 Did Melania Trump Plagiarize a Pamphlet for the Be Best Campaign Snopes May 8 2018 Archived from the original on September 28 2019 Retrieved August 21 2018 Behrmann Savannah December 13 2019 Be Best Melania Trump s anti bullying slogan trends after the president mocked Greta Thunberg USA Today Retrieved January 22 2021 Frederick Brian Elder Laurel May 20 2016 Presidential Candidate Spouses May Have Record Unfavorable Ratings in 2016 HuffPost Elder Laurel Frederick Brian Burrell Barbara June 15 2018 Analysis Why Melania Trump isn t as popular as Laura Bush or Michelle Obama Washington Post Retrieved January 20 2021 Bennett Kate Agiesta Jennifer January 17 2021 Melania Trump departing White House with lowest favorability of her tenure CNN Retrieved January 20 2021 Bennett Kate December 13 2018 Melania Trump s poll numbers plummet CNN Retrieved January 20 2021 Frankovic Kathy March 7 2019 Melania remains the most popular Trump Kushner security clearance seen as problematic today yougov com YouGov Retrieved January 19 2021 Easley Cameron August 25 2020 As Trump family dominates RNC poll shows they re most popular GOP figures Morning Consult Retrieved January 22 2021 Jones Jeffrey M December 29 2020 Donald Trump Michelle Obama Most Admired in 2020 Gallup com Retrieved January 19 2021 Enten Harry January 19 2021 The worst final popularity rating ever for a first lady belongs to Melania Trump CNN Retrieved January 19 2021 Sieczkowski Cavan May 25 2017 Melania Trump Will Be The First Catholic To Live At The White House Since JFK HuffPost Archived from the original on May 26 2017 Retrieved May 26 2017 US First Lady Melania Trump Is Catholic Spokeswoman Confirms The Catholic Herald May 26 2017 Archived from the original on May 26 2017 Retrieved May 26 2017 Pulliam Bailey Sarah May 25 2017 Melania Trump is Catholic she confirms after Vatican visit The Washington Post Archived from the original on May 27 2019 Retrieved October 18 2018 Scutti Susan What we know and don t know about Melania Trump s procedure CNN Archived from the original on May 16 2018 Retrieved June 6 2018 Singman Brooke May 14 2018 First lady Melania Trump in hospital underwent successful kidney procedure Fox News Archived from the original on May 15 2018 Retrieved May 15 2018 Dawsey Josh Itkowitz Colby Trump begins quarantine as close aide Hope Hicks tests positive for coronavirus The Washington Post ISSN 0190 8286 Archived from the original on October 2 2020 Retrieved October 2 2020 Vella Lauren October 1 2020 Trump first lady to quarantine after top aide tests positive for coronavirus TheHill Archived from the original on October 3 2020 Retrieved October 2 2020 Mason Jeff October 2 2020 Trump starts quarantine process after aide Hope Hicks tests positive for coronavirus Reuters Archived from the original on October 3 2020 Retrieved October 2 2020 Trump Melania October 2 2020 Thank you for the love you are sending our way I have mild symptoms but overall feeling good I am looking forward to a speedy recovery Archived from the original on January 14 2021 Retrieved October 2 2020 External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to Melania Trump Wikiquote has quotations related to Melania Trump White House website Official website archived March 1 2012 Melania Trump at Fashion Model Directory Melania Trump at IMDb Appearances on C SPANHonorary titlesPreceded byMichelle Obama First Lady of the United States2017 2021 Succeeded byJill Biden Portals Slovenia Politics United States New York City Fashion Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Melania Trump amp oldid 1148879639, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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