Melania Trump

Melania Trump, born Melanija Knavs on April 26, 1970 in Novo Mesto, then part of Yugoslavia, rose from a modest working‑class family to become one of the most recognizable faces in global fashion before entering the political arena. She began modeling at sixteen, winning a local contest that launched a career across Milan, Paris and eventually Manhattan, where she adopted the spelling Melania Knauss and signed with several high‑profile agencies. In 1996 she migrated to the United States under the sponsorship of Italian entrepreneur Paolo Zampolli, quickly securing high‑visibility jobs such as a Times Square billboard for Camel cigarettes and a feature in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. Her personal life shifted dramatically when Zampolli introduced her to real‑estate magnate Donald Trump at a New York party in 1998, leading to a courtship that culminated in their 2005 wedding at Bethesda‑by‑the‑Sea church. The couple’s only child, Barron William Trump, was born in 2006, and Melania subsequently obtained U.S. citizenship in July 2006, adding American nationality to her Slovenian roots. As first lady from 2017 to 2021, she emphasized children’s welfare through the Be Best initiative, visited countless hospitals, and acted as a quiet adviser on diplomatic and policy matters, including the 2018 decision to end family‑separation at the border. After a low‑profile interval following the 2020 election, she reclaimed the role of first lady in January 2025, becoming the first naturalized citizen to occupy the position twice and the second foreign‑born first lady in American history. Throughout her public life she has also pursued entrepreneurial ventures, launching a jewelry line in 2009 and later serving as an executive producer for a 2025 documentary about her own impact. Her complex legacy intertwines fashion, business, and politics, reflecting a uniquely international trajectory that continues to shape contemporary perceptions of the American first‑lady office.