Melania Trump: From Model To First Lady And Beyond

Born Melanija Knavs (later changed to Knauss), the Slovenian native is the only first lady to have been born in a Communist country, a far cry from the politics of her future husband, who frequently dog-whistled to the alt-right. Melania Trump was raised in a tiny town called Sevnica. As was typical for families growing up in Communist societies, her parents both worked for state-owned companies. Her mom, Amalija, worked at a textile factory and was a budding fashion designer, while her father, Viktor, managed car dealerships.

Speaking with GQ, Trump opened up about her childhood and upbringing. "I love my childhood. It was a beautiful childhood," she told the mag in a sentiment that echoed her husband's unique lexicon. It has been said that Trump was drawn to her future husband due to similarities between the former "The Apprentice" judge and her father. She does not deny the comparisons. "They grew up in totally different environments, but they have the same values, they have the same tradition," Trump reflected to GQ. She went on to explain that she herself is comparable to her husband, as they share traditional values.

At school, Trump was a highly studious pupil, with her former classmates praising her aptitude as a student. "She was a very good student," her childhood friend, Mirjana Jelancic, told ABC News. "She was a really, really nice, good person. ... Amazing girl," Jelancic added.

The erstwhile Melania Knauss had been modeling when Donald Trump was drawn to her alluring statuesque looks — dark brown hair and perfect little '90s LBD in tow. However, she never reached the supermodel status of, say, icons such as Naomi Campbell or Claudia Schiffer, and by the late '90s, a woman in her mid 20s was inexplicably considered "too old" for the catwalk. "She was going to castings every day and not succeeding every day," photographer Matthew Atanian (who was once her roommate) told GQ.

Trump and the former Miss Knauss met through Paolo Zampolli, the founder of ID Models, during a fashion week party. In typical Donald Trump style, he attended the event with another woman but set his eyes on the Slovenian beauty. What's more, he was actually still married to his second wife, Marla Maples, though they had separated a year earlier, per The New York Times. Melania sported her natural glossy locks and subtle makeup.

"He wanted my number, but he was with a date, so of course I didn't give it to him," Melania told Harper's Bazaar. "I said, 'I am not giving you my number; you give me yours, and I will call you.' I wanted to see what kind of number he would give me — if it was a business number ... I'm not doing business with you." However, as she soon discovered, Trump had an entirely different business model on his mind.

New millennium, new Melania. The model decided to celebrate the end of Y2K with a new home — and a brand new look. Following a succession of brown-haired beauties who enjoyed immense popularity in the 2000s, such as Jennifers Love Hewitt and Garner, Trump embraced her shimmering chestnut locks and shed the '90s bob. As for bagging that new home country? It's all in the art of the deal.

Only a few individuals are fortunate enough to be granted a so-called "Einstein Visa." But in 2001, Trump was awarded one to work in the U.S. Questions remain as to how a model was bestowed something usually reserved for those with extraordinary talents. "What did she submit?" immigration lawyer David Leopold asked the The Washington Post. "There are a lot of questions about how she procured entry into the United States." 

However Trump may have acquired the Einstein Visa, there is no doubt that she loves her newfound home. Speaking with Tatler, she argued that she is proof that "the American dream really exists." She suggested that her key life events were all leading up to her role as first lady. "Every step in my life had a different turning point. Growing up in Slovenia, living in both Milan and Paris at a young age, then moving to the United States and living in New York City in my 20s — all of that has led to my serving our great nation as first lady," she reflected. When it comes to fate, she was dealt the Trump card.

2005 was the year of the Lady and the Trump. After Donald Trump finally popped the question, he made Melania Trump his third wife. In true Trumpian style, the couple held a lavish wedding. And you better believe it was a tremendous, terrific ceremony.

According to Vogue, who featured the new bride on the cover of their February 2005 issue, the lucky lady wore a resplendent Christian Dior gown, complete with hundreds of embroidered pearls and crystal rhinestones. The wedding itself reportedly cost $1 million, though there are rumors that the true figure could far exceed that amount. Meanwhile, Melania's diamond engagement ring cost $1.5 million, according to The New York Times. However, the publication notes that the "Apprentice" judge only paid half that amount, despite his burgeoning bank balance. "Only a fool would say, 'No thank you, I want to pay a million dollars more for a diamond,"' he explained. The star-studded guest list even included Donald Trump's future archnemesis Hillary Clinton.

Few photos from the wedding day are public, but at the time, Melania Trump exhibited a healthy glowing tan and had dyed her hair a light honey brown, which she frequently wore in beach waves, as reflective of the aughts. Despite marrying a billionaire, Melania says her life is pretty normal. "My life is very normal­­ — for me. Maybe for some people they would not think that. But for me it is," she told Parenting.

In 2010, Melania Trump appeared at various fashion events, showcasing her timeless and ever-evolving style. By this point, she was favoring tasteful LBDs and updos that were a precursor to her first lady chic. Notably, she appeared in a subtle black ensemble at New York Fashion Week, while her husband wore his signature oversized red tie.

To mark the new decade, Melania launched a line of jewelry for QVC, which admittedly doesn't sound like a platform befitting the wife of a billionaire. When Donald Trump became president, the official White House website even mentioned Melania's jewelry line in its biography of the first lady. "Melania is also a successful entrepreneur. In April 2010, Melania Trump launched her own jewelry collection," the bio stated (archived by The Washington Post). As the Post notes, it's highly unusual for the White House site to mention the entrepreneurial pursuits of the first lady, so we suspect that Don may have had a hand in promoting his wife "bigly." However, QVC clarified that, while they did previously sell Melania's jewelry, "QVC does not have an active relationship with the brand."

No one wants to be shaded by QVC, but the television shopping network's loss is Melania's gain, as her brand continues to bring in a modest profit. Melania's businesses made between $15,000 and $50,000 in 2016. Clearly, there is someone somewhere out there living their best life in Melania's QVC jewels.

Against all odds, Donald Trump beat Hillary Clinton to become president of the United States. When Don was inaugurated in 2017, Melania Trump adhered to her 1999 promise to be like Jackie O., channeling the erstwhile Mrs. Kennedy with a Ralph Lauren duck egg blue suit and classy updo. For the first ever first lady for whom English is a second language, Harper's Bazaar argued that the choice of attire was reflective of Melania remaining committed to representing and "serving a nation that is not natively hers."

Despite Melania being hailed first lady, there was another woman constantly by The Donald's side. This was, of course, his daughter, Ivanka Trump, who was seemingly present at every major presidential event, despite not being Melania's daughter and regardless of the fact that she was approaching 40 at the time. Well, once a daddy's girl, always a daddy's girl.

But Melania was reportedly unhappy with being overshadowed by Ivanka. In her book "Melania and Me," the first lady's pal, Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, claims that there was a heated rivalry between Melania and Ivanka. In an excerpt published by New York mag, Wolkoff writes, "It was Donald's inauguration, not Ivanka's. But no one was brave enough to tell her that. Melania was not thrilled about Ivanka's steering the schedule and would not allow it. Neither was she happy to hear that Ivanka insisted on walking in the Pennsylvania Avenue parade with her children." According to Wolkoff, this led Melania to launch "Operation Block Ivanka."

During the 2020 presidential election, Melania Trump wore eye-catching ensembles, including a vibrant Gucci dress, as she went to cast her ballot. In a campaign filled with invective launched against Donald Trump's competitor, Joe Biden, Melania did her best to remain stoic and graceful. But she couldn't quite escape the controversy of green jacket-gate, and 2020 would prove to be an even more contentious year for the usually reserved model-turned-FLOTUS.

That year, a series of tapes were sent to CNN. They were secretly recorded by Stephanie Winston Wolkoff two years earlier, and Melania can be heard expressing some questionable views. Most damning of all, she condones the incarceration of migrant children in detention centers, claiming that the conditions in which the kids are forced to sleep are of decent quality. "The kids, they say, 'Wow I will have my own bed? I will sleep on the bed? I will have a cabinet for my clothes?' It's so sad to hear it, but they didn't have that in their own countries, they sleep on the floor," Melania said. "They are taken care of nicely there. But you know, yeah, they are not with parents, it's sad. But when they come here alone or with coyotes or illegally, you know, you need to do something." 

Additionally, she appeared to espouse right-wing conspiracy theories that migrant children seeking a better life are coached by their parents to lie about their reasons for escaping their home countries.

At 52, Melania Trump is as elegant as ever, pictured above sporting blonde curls and a sequined gown at a New Year's Eve event hosted at the Mar-a-Lago estate. But the FBI previously stormed Mar-a-Lago in search of classified documents that Donald Trump refused to forfeit. Per CNN, Donald took to Truth Social to slam FBI agents for allegedly raiding his wife's closet, carelessly tossing out her designer gowns and shoes during the search. Although she was reportedly irritated by the situation, sources claimed that Melania was confident Donald would never store contentious material among her refinery.

Unfortunately, Melania has been repeatedly pulled into Donald's legal troubles. In February 2023, the Manhattan District Attorney's office alleged that he had paid $130,000 to adult film actor Stormy Daniels in 2016 to divert negative publicity prior to the presidential election. However, he has been advised to contend that he made the payment to assuage conflict with Melania (Daniels' alleged affair with Donald occurred when Melania was pregnant with Barron Trump).

Moreover, questions have been raised as to the influence the erstwhile first lady wielded in the White House. According to former Defense Secretary Christopher Miller's "Soldier Secretary" memoir, Melania was apparently in the Situation Room during the October 2019 raid on ISIS, which resulted in the organization's leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, blowing himself up after being discovered by a combat dog (via The Hill). Melania apparently advised her husband to champion the dog as the hero of the day; he obliged, famously praising the pup for his counterterrorism efforts.