Melania Trump is a former Slovenian model who became the first lady of the United States. Fashion critics have praised her sense of style and stage presence. Journalists enthusiastically go through the candid photo shoots in which she participated at the peak of her career. And ordinary Americans, judging by a CNN poll, express their support for the charming first lady more actively than President Donald Trump himself.
Early biography and career
The future first lady was born on April 26, 1970 in the Slovenian city of Novo Mesto. Her country at that time was part of the Republic of Yugoslavia. In childhood and adolescence, Melania bore the surname Knavs. The head of the family, Viktor Knavs, worked as a car dealer, and Amalia's mother was a children's clothing designer at a garment factory. Melania grew up with her younger sister Ines. Later, journalists found her older half-brother from her father's previous relationship. His name is Denis Cigelnyak, the man lives in Slovenia, but he never maintained relations with his sisters.
Melania started working as a model at the age of 5, she demonstrated clothes of a garment factory where her mother worked. At the age of 16 she collaborated with the famous Slovenian photographer Stein Yerko, and at the age of 18 she signed a contract with a modeling agency from Milan. Then the girl changed her surname Knavs in the German manner, now she was known as Melania Knauss.
After school, she entered the University of Ljubljana, planning to get a design education. But a year later she dropped out of school, choosing a modeling career. The young beauty worked in Paris and Milan. In 1992 Melania took part in the "View of the Year" competition, which was organized by the Slovenian magazine Jana. The girl stopped one step away from victory, having won second place.
In 1995, during a tour of Europe, organized to find new faces, businessman Paolo Zampolli, co-owner of the Metropolitan Models modeling agency and a good friend of Donald Trump, drew attention to her. He invited Melania to work in the USA. In 1996, Knauss came to New York, where she found herself in great demand.
Slavic beauty worked with famous photographers Patrick Demarchelier and Helmut Newton. She has graced the covers of Vanity Fair, Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, Front, GQ, Sports Illustrated magazines.
Marriage to Donald Trump
In 1998 Melania attended a private party in Manhattan hosted by Paolo Zampolli. There she was noticed by Donald Trump, who recently divorced his second wife, Marla Maples. True, the businessman was not alone, but in the company of a young businesswoman Selina Midelfart. But seizing the moment when his companion went to the ladies' room, Trump approached Melania with a request to give her phone number.
Various sources provide several versions of the further development of events. Someone writes that the model herself took the phone from Trump and later called him. Other information resources claim that Knauss refused the businessman's requests for a date for several months. Anyway, Melania and Donald started dating. In 2000, they took a break in their relationship, and a year later, a Slovenian citizen received a green card that allowed her to stay in the United States.
The renewal of the romance ended with an engagement in 2004. The lovers were married on January 22, 2005 in a lavish ceremony in Palm Beach, Florida, where Trump has his own Mar-a-Lago estate. The wedding was attended by 350 guests, including Shaquille O'Neill, Heidi Klum, Barbara Walters, Simon Cowell, Bill and Hillary Clinton.
For the solemn day, the bride chose a $ 200,000 Dior dress, decorated with 1,500 crystals, with a long train and a veil. The outfit was quite uncomfortable, so for the festive party Melania changed into a Greek-style dress from Vera Wang. Her engagement ring from jewelry brand Graff was adorned with a 12 carat diamond. She entrusted the role of the bridesmaid to her younger sister Ines. And the groom's best men were his sons from his first marriage, Donald Jr. and Eric.
A year after the wedding, on March 20, 2006, the couple had a son, Barron William Trump. The first name was given to the boy by a happy father, and the second was chosen by his mother. In the same year, Melania received American citizenship.
First Lady of the United States
After the wedding, Melania was engaged in raising a child, tried her hand at creating jewelry, released a line of cosmetic products. She became the center of attention when Donald Trump announced his desire to participate in the upcoming presidential elections in 2016.
In August 2016, the British newspaper Daily Mail issued a statement that during her modeling career, Melania worked in parallel as an escort. After becoming first lady, she filed a lawsuit against the publication, demanding a refutation and compensation. Mrs. Trump got her way with a compensation of $ 2.9 million.
Another scandal during the campaign was associated with Melania's speech given in July 2016 at the Republican National Convention. Some excerpts from her speech turned out to be indecently similar to Michelle Obama's 2008 speech. The plagiarism was claimed by writer Meredith McIver, who served as a speechwriter for Trump's team.
Melania began her duties as First Lady in January 2017. True, she and her son moved to the White House only in June, after the end of the school year at Barron's New York gymnasium. Mrs. Trump, as the wife of the president, takes part in various ceremonies, accompanies her husband on work trips, does charity work, and arranges dinner parties at the White House. For this work, Melania does not receive a salary, but is entitled to expenses.
It must be admitted that she copes with her role quite well and hears significantly less criticism than her eccentric husband. In a 2018 poll on CNN, 57% of Americans expressed confidence in her, while only 47% of voters supported the president.
Mrs. Trump attracts attention not only for her official activities, but also for her ability to dress beautifully and stylishly. She is called the new icon of fashion in politics and is put on a par with Jacqueline Kennedy and Nancy Reagan. Of course, Melania, having enormous financial resources, can afford the most expensive outfits and services of high-class stylists, without getting into the pockets of taxpayers. The first lady prefers a classic style of clothing, among her favorite brands are Ralph Lauren, Fendi, Michael Kors, Gucci, Dolce & Gabbana.
The popularity of the president's wife is also evidenced by the fact that since his inauguration, the number of newborn girls with the name Melania has significantly increased.
