Melania Trump is a former model of Slovenian and American origin who served as the ‘First Lady’ of the United States as the wife of President Donald Trump; she previously held this role from 2017 to 2021. She is the first ‘First Lady’ to be a naturalized citizen and the second of foreign origin, following Louisa Adams.

She is known for her successful modeling career in Europe and the United States, having appeared on the covers of numerous high-fashion magazines. After leaving the White House in 2021, she largely stayed out of the public eye before resuming the role of ‘First Lady’ in 2025.

Melania Trump Biography

Early Life

Melania Trump was born on April 26, 1970, in Novo Mesto, SR Slovenia, Yugoslavia, and her zodiac sign is Taurus. Her family lived in a government housing complex called ‘Naselje Heroja Maroka’ in Sevnica. Her family was better off financially than most people living in the communist society of that time. As a child, Melania participated in children’s fashion shows, just like the children of other factory workers.

At the age of 15, she began her studies at the ‘Secondary School for Design and Photography’ in Ljubljana; after graduating from high school at 19, she enrolled in the ‘Faculty of Architecture and Civil and Geodetic Engineering’ at the University of Ljubljana to pursue further studies in design.

Melania Trump Relationships And More

In September 1998, Zampolli introduced Knauss to real estate mogul Donald Trump at a party. She continued her modeling career after meeting Trump, though she gradually took on less work to devote more time to him. Her relationship with Trump led to her attending major events and meeting prominent figures and celebrities.

In 1999, the couple made headlines after appearing on “shock jock” Howard Stern’s show, where Stern asked them explicit, sexually charged questions. Trump proposed to Knauss on her birthday, April 26, 2004, and the couple married on January 22, 2005. On March 20, 2006, Melania and Donald welcomed a son, Barron William Trump. Following her marriage to Donald, Melania became a stepmother to his four children.

Melania Trump Family

Melania Trump was born to Viktor and Amalija Knavs. Her father first worked as a chauffeur; eventually, he sold car parts for a state-owned vehicle manufacturer he made connections with the League of Communists of Yugoslavia. Melania has an older sister, Ines, and an older half-brother from her father’s previous relationship, Denis Cigelnjak, whom she reportedly has never met.  Her mother, Amalija, worked as a pattern maker at the children’s clothing manufacturer Jutranjka in Sevnica.

Melania Trump Career

Melania started modeling at age 5, and she began taking commercial projects at the age of 16. Her first project was with Slovenian fashion photographer Stane Jerko. She signed with the modeling agency in Milan, Italy, at the age of 18. In 1996, she joined the “Paolo Zmpollis” modeling agency and moved to New York City. She was a runner-up at the “Look of the Year ” contest held in Ljubljana and conducted by Jana Magazine. She appeared on the covers of several magazines.

Beyond modeling, Melania Trump is also a businesswoman who launched her own jewelry line, “Melania Timepieces & Jewelry,” in 2010. As a First Lady, she launched the “Be Best public awareness campaign in May 2018. She became the first lady to fly in a V-22 Osprey aircraft.

Melania Trump Height And Weight

Melania Trump Net Worth

American former model and businesswoman Melania Trump has an estimated net worth of around $50 million, as of September 2026.

Some Lesser-Known Facts About Melania Trump –

• Melania Trump was born and raised in Novo Mesto, Yugoslavia, now part of present-day Slovenia.
• Her father was a car and motorcycle dealer and was a member of the Slovenian Communist Party in Yugoslavia.
• She grew up in a concrete housing bloc in a modest apartment in Sevnica, Slovenia.
• She started her modeling career at age 16 and posed for Slovenian photographer Stan Jerko at age 17.
• She has been associated with the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.
• She was awarded the title of “Goodwill Ambassador” by the American Red Cross.
• She first met Donald Trump in September 1998, at a Fashion Week party in New York City.
• At the age of 18, Melania signed with a modeling agency in Milan, Italy.
• In the 1992 Jana Magazine “Look of the Year Contest” held in Ljubljana, she was named the runner-up.
• From a young age, she expressed an interest in fashion, and she began customizing and sewing her own clothes.
• Melania Trump did well in school, where she was appointed school treasurer.
• She signed with RVR Reclame in Milan, but she left the organization a few months later.
• Around age 23 or 24, she made Paris her primary residence, where she lived with her roommate Victoria Silvstedt.

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