Melania Trump
| Melania Trump | |
|---|---|
 | |
| First Lady of the United States | |
| Assumed office January 20, 2017 | |
| President | Donald Trump |
| Preceded by | Michelle Obama |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Melanija Knavs April 26, 1970 Novo Mesto, SR Slovenia, SFR Yugoslavia |
| Citizenship | |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Donald Trump (m. 2005) |
| Children | Barron Trump |
| Residence | Trump Tower White House |
She was born in Novo Mesto, Slovenia and grew up in Sevnica, in the Lower Sava Valley.[2] She worked as a fashion model for agencies in Milan and Paris, later moving to New York City in 1996.[3] Her modeling career was associated with Irene Marie Models and Trump Model Management.[4]
In 2001, she became a permanent resident of the United States. She married Donald Trump in 2005 and obtained U.S. citizenship in 2006.[5] She is the first naturalized U.S. citizen to become First Lady of the United States.[6]
Contents
[hide]Early life
Melanija Knavs was born in Novo Mesto, Slovenia (then part of Yugoslavia) on April 26, 1970.[7][8] Her father, Viktor Knavs, was from the nearby town of Radeče, and managed car and motorcycle dealerships for a state-owned vehicle manufacturer.[9][10] Her mother Amalija (née Ulčnik) came from the village of Raka and worked as a patternmaker at the children's clothing manufacturer Jutranjka in Sevnica.[11][12] As a child, she participated in fashion shows featuring children's clothing, along with other children of workers at the factory.[13][14] She has an older sister, Ines, and an older half-brother whom she reportedly has never met, from her father's previous relationship.[15][16]Knavs grew up in a modest apartment in a housing block in Sevnica, in the Lower Sava Valley.[1][17] Her father was in the League of Communists of Slovenia, which prohibited its members from openly practicing religion.[18][19] As was common, however, he had his daughters baptised secretly.[20][21]
When she was a teenager, Knavs moved with her family to a two-story house in Sevnica.[22] Then, as a high-school student, she lived in a high-rise apartment in Ljubljana. She attended the Secondary School of Design and Photography in Ljubljana,[23] and studied architecture and design at the University of Ljubljana for one year before dropping out.[24][25][26]
Modeling career
She began modeling at five years old and started doing commercials at sixteen when she posed for the Slovenian fashion photographer, Stane Jerko.[27][28] When she began working as a model, she translated the Slovene version of her last name "Knavs" to the German version "Knauss".[29]At eighteen she signed with a modeling agency in Milan, Italy.[30] 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.[7][31]
After attending the University of Ljubljana for one year,[32] she 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 United States, where he said he would like to represent her.[14]
In 1996, she moved to New York City,[14][31][30][33] living in an apartment in Zeckendorf Towers on Union Square, with a roommate, photographer Matthew Atanian, per Zampolli's arrangements.[14] She did ten paid modeling jobs in the U.S. in the seven weeks before she received legal permission to work in the country.[5]
Relationship with Donald Trump
Early relationship
Melania meeting President Bill Clinton in 2000
Melania continued her modeling career,[14] with her American magazine cover shoots, including, In Style Weddings,[36] New York Magazine, Avenue,[37] Philadelphia Style,[38] Vanity Fair[39] and Vogue.[40] While they were dating, Trump relocated her family to New York, where her parents now live for most of the year.[41]
In 1999, the couple gained attention after an interview on The Howard Stern Show, and, when asked by The New York Times what her role would be if Donald Trump were to become President, she replied: "I would be very traditional, like Betty Ford or Jackie Kennedy."[10]
In 2000, she appeared with Donald Trump while he campaigned for that year's Reform Party presidential nomination and modeled for the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.[42][41]
Marriage
After becoming engaged in 2004, Knauss married Donald Trump in an Anglican service on January 22, 2005, 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.[43][44] The event was attended by celebrities such as Katie Couric, Matt Lauer, Rudy Giuliani, Heidi Klum, Star Jones, P. Diddy, Shaquille O'Neal, Barbara Walters, Conrad Black, Regis Philbin, Simon Cowell, Kelly Ripa, then-Senator Hillary Clinton, and former president Bill Clinton.[44][45] 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".[44] The Trumps' wedding ceremony and reception were widely covered by the media.[33] She wore a $200,000 dress made by John Galliano of the house of Christian Dior.[44]On March 20, 2006, she gave birth to their son, Barron William Trump.[46] She suggested his middle name, while her husband suggested his first name.[47]
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