Melania's Heritage: Austrian Or Not?

Melania Trump, born Melanija Knavs, is a Slovenian-American former model who served as the first lady of the United States from 2017 to 2021. She is the wife of Donald Trump, the 45th president of the United States, and the mother of their son, Barron Trump. Melania was born in Novo Mesto, Slovenia (then part of Yugoslavia) in 1970 and began her modelling career at the age of 16. She later moved to Paris and Milan to pursue modelling opportunities and changed her name to Melania Knauss. In 1996, she immigrated to the United States with the help of Paolo Zampolli, who hired her to work for his modelling agency in New York. Melania went on to marry Donald Trump in 2005 and became a US citizen the following year. She is known for being the first naturalized citizen to become the first lady of the United States.

Melania Trump is a Slovenian-American former model

Melania Trump (born Melanija Knavs) is a Slovenian-American former model. She was born in Novo Mesto, Slovenia (then part of Yugoslavia) in 1970. Her mother, Amalija, was a patternmaker at a children's clothing manufacturer, and her father, Viktor, worked as a chauffeur and sold car parts.

Melanija grew up in Sevnica, a small industrial town in central Slovenia. She attended the Secondary School for Design and Photography in Ljubljana, making a long commute from her hometown to the capital every day. After graduating, she enrolled at the University of Ljubljana to study design but left after a few months.

At the age of 16, she began modelling and was discovered by Slovenian fashion photographer Stane Jerko. She soon began working in Milan and Paris, changing her name to Melania Knauss. In 1996, she moved to New York, where she continued her modelling career.

In 1998, Melania met real estate developer Donald Trump at a party in New York. They married in 2005 and had a son, Barron, the following year. In 2006, she became a US citizen.

Melania served as First Lady of the United States from 2017 to 2021 and will resume the role in 2025 following her husband's reelection. She is the second foreign-born First Lady and the only First Lady to become a naturalized US citizen. As First Lady, she has focused on issues affecting children, launching the Be Best initiative to promote children's well-being, online safety, and opioid abuse prevention.

She is the wife of former US President Donald Trump

Melania Trump, born Melanija Knavs, is the wife of former US President Donald Trump. She was born in Novo Mesto, Slovenia (then part of Yugoslavia) in 1970 and grew up in Sevnica, a small town in central Slovenia. Melania began modelling at the age of 16 and went on to have a successful career, working in Paris and Milan before moving to New York in 1996.

In 1998, she met Donald Trump at a party in New York. They married in 2005 and have a son, Barron, born in 2006. Melania became a US citizen that same year.

Melania is the second foreign-born First Lady of the United States, after Louisa Adams, and the only First Lady to become a naturalized citizen. She served as First Lady from 2017 to 2021 and will resume the role in 2025 following her husband's reelection.

As First Lady, Melania focused on issues affecting children, including cyberbullying, opioid abuse, and social and emotional health. She launched the BE BEST initiative in 2018 to promote the well-being of children and highlight successful programs supporting young people. She has also been an advocate for military families and played a role in honouring the 100th anniversary of the women's suffrage movement in 2020.

She was the second foreign-born First Lady of the United States

Melania Trump, born Melanija Knavs, is a Slovenian-American former model and the wife of Donald Trump, the 45th president of the United States. Melania was born in Novo Mesto, Slovenia (then part of Yugoslavia) in 1970. She began modelling at the age of 16 and moved to the United States in 1996. She married Donald Trump in 2005 and they have one son, Barron, born in 2006.

Melania was the second foreign-born First Lady of the United States, after Louisa Adams, who was born in England. Melania was also the first naturalized citizen to become First Lady. She served as First Lady from 2017 to 2021 and will return to the role in January 2025 following her husband's second inauguration.

Melania's tenure as First Lady was marked by her advocacy for children's issues, such as cyberbullying and opioid abuse. She launched the Be Best campaign to promote children's welfare and made many visits to children's hospitals. She also prioritised issues impacting families, such as immigration policy and natural disasters. In addition, she played an integral role in honouring the 100th anniversary of the women's suffrage movement in 2020.

During her time as First Lady, Melania faced several challenges, including allegations of her husband's extramarital affairs, surgery for kidney disease, and a controversial tour of Africa. She also received criticism for her fashion choices during the Africa trip, which were seen as exploitative and associated with colonialism.

Despite these controversies, Melania has been described as having a ''drama-free'' reputation in the White House, treating the staff well and remaining loyal to her husband. She has been an active participant in her community and has served as an honorary chairwoman for various organisations, including the Martha Graham Dance Company and the American Heart Association.

Melania launched the Be Best initiative, which focused on children's issues

Melania Trump, the wife of former US President Donald Trump, launched the Be Best initiative in May 2018. The initiative focused on children's issues, with three key pillars: well-being, social media, and opioid abuse.

The well-being pillar addressed the social and emotional health of children, aiming to promote healthy living, kindness, and respect. Melania recognised the impact of social media on children and advocated for understanding its positive and negative effects. This included addressing cyberbullying and encouraging positive online behaviours. The third pillar, opioid abuse, aimed to protect the vulnerable from drug abuse and educate people about the detrimental effects of opioids.

The Be Best campaign built on Melania's prior interest in children's issues, demonstrated through her visits to young hospital patients and care centres during the presidential campaign and her tenure as First Lady. She also hosted a White House conversation on cyberbullying and met with representatives of major online and social media companies to discuss these issues.

Melania's initiative was criticised for its slogan, "Be Best", which was seen as grammatically incorrect and drew comparisons to Michelle Obama's "Be Better" call. Additionally, the campaign faced accusations of hypocrisy due to her husband's reputation for attacking people online. Despite this, Melania was prepared for criticism and stated that she would continue with the initiative as she believed in its cause.

She is the only First Lady to become a naturalized US citizen

Melania Trump, born Melanija Knavs, is the only first lady of the United States to become a naturalized citizen. She was born in Slovenia, then part of Yugoslavia, in 1970, and began working as a fashion model at the age of 16. She changed the spelling of her name to Melania Knauss and travelled to Paris and Milan to seek modelling work. In 1996, she was brought to New York by Paolo Zampolli's modelling agency. She continued working as a model in Manhattan, where she met her future husband, real estate developer Donald Trump, in 1998.

Melania and Donald married in 2005 and had a son, Barron, the following year. She became a US citizen in 2006, the same year Barron was born. During this time, she continued her career, occasionally modelling and marketing a line of jewellery. She also developed a line of caviar-based skincare products.

Melania was the first naturalized citizen to become first lady when Donald was elected president in 2016. She is also the second foreign-born first lady after Louisa Adams, and the second Catholic first lady after Jacqueline Kennedy. She will become the second first lady in history to serve two non-consecutive terms when Donald returns to office in 2025.

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