Melania Trump, Classy First Lady!
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Melania Trump. |
Ivanka and lots of other political things going on. Once you start writing about political types, people get very particular about what they feel is appropriate. Everyone has strong opinions about a public figure like Melania Trump.
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Melania Trump's official White House portrait (Source: White House). |
Given that Melania began appearing on the front pages of newspapers for absolutely no reason whatsoever during the 2016 Presidential campaign, Melania must be someone that people are interested in. I mean, there's the proof in that infamous New York Post edition above.
Well, screw it. Let's learn a little bit about Melania and just stick with the facts. There is a lot of misinformation about Melania, but the facts are there. Nothing in here is intended to be disrespectful or, for that matter, fawning. Buckle up, bucko.
Melania has her own page that discusses her basic life story. In essence, she was born April 26, 1970, in Sevnica, Slovenia as Melanija Knavs. For professional reasons, Melania later changed the spelling to Melania Knauss.
This decision by Melania to change her name received some criticism at the time from Slovenians due to her new surname's Germanic spelling, but it was just a more accessible name for the Western press. Besides, she was simply a local girl, so the only people who took umbrage were local folks. The world at large, which now was her audience, didn't care about the niceties of her stage name as long as it was reasonably standard and easy to pronounce.
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Sevnica Castle in Melania's home town (Kraji - Slovenia). |
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Viktor and Amalija Knavs, Melania's parents. |
Melania's parents are still very much with us, incidentally, and Victor bears a striking resemblance to Donald Trump. Victor later turned his auto expertise into a lucrative business importing and exporting car parts. The couple now pretty much lives with Melania in the United States (or at least lives in one of Melania's homes), but do occasionally return to Sevnica. They still own a stately home on the outskirts of town, though that's stately by Sevnica standards, not Trump standards. Victor's occasional visits home are noticed there, and the town relishes the continuing association.
Melania began modeling at age 16 at the factory where her mother worked (some sources say she began modeling at age 5, which would not have been too unusual in that place at that time; Melania may just have gotten serious about modeling as a career years later as a teen). Melania moved to Milan at 18 when her career took off.
People in Europe tend to learn a lot of languages because there are a lot of languages to learn. Melania speaks Slovenian, Serbian, Austrian, English, French, Serbo-Croatian, and German (I think those are all different languages or at least dialects; it is common to say that Melania speaks five different languages). Anyway, Melania speaks all the languages in that neck of the European woods, plus English, too, of course.
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Melania in high school, 1984. She is the girl in the front row on the left. |
The story goes that Melania was "discovered" by Stane Jerko at a modeling fashion show for Jutranjka catalogs. She appeared with sister Ines, and the event was a big deal because it was held in Belgrade.
Jerko asked if he could take some pictures of Melania, and she agreed. Some of those are black and white in this article. Unlike many fanciful tales of models being discovered on the street or at the mall and so forth, this one appears to be accurate.

In New York, Melania's career took off after she met agent Paolo Zampolli. Among many other jobs, she appeared on billboards for Camel cigarettes, Lord & Taylor and Bergdorf Goodman. She Melania did the usual risqué photoshoots that European models do. Much more so than in the United States, female models in Europe are expected to accept nudity or at least extremely skimpy attire. Provocative poses are de rigueur, you do them or you don't eat. Work is work, and nobody is giving top working models handouts.
As one version of the story goes, Donald and Melania met at a party. This probably isn't a secret, but among the well-to-do in New York City, there occasionally are parties where all the eligible young models are invited to meet the town's financial titans. You know, they "just so happen" to be at the same place at the same time. To be perfectly blunt, they are a bit like a cattle call, with the men looking for a pretty lady and the hopeful women parading before them looking for a billionaire. Let's be polite and call it "networking." Donald noticed Melania at one such party and got her number. Supposedly, Melania at first wasn't that interested, but the whole thing is part of the Trump mythology at this point, so who knows what actually happened. Most models are not distressed to be asked for their number by a celebrity billionaire. Draw your own conclusions.
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Donald Trump and Melania in 1999, long before their marriage but when she definitely was his lady (Photo by Diane Freed). |
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Melania's 1999 Ocean Drive cover. |
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Young and mature Melania. |
- Bulgaria: 'Harper's Bazaar' - August 2010
- France: 'Paris Match' - March 17, 2005
- Italy: 'Vanity Fair' - December 23, 2015
- Spain: 'Hola' - January 27, 2005
- UK: 'GQ' - January 2000
- US: 'Ocean Drive' - April 1999; 'Vogue' - February 2005; 'InStyle Weddings' - Summer 2005; 'Avenue' - March 2010; 'Philadelphia Style' - December 2011.
In addition, Melania has been on tabloid covers a lot, especially recently. In fact, Melania was on a whole boatload of covers in 2016 and later due to her celebrity as a political spouse. However, these are for her political situation, not as a model, so they belong in a separate category as quasi-news items. The covers listed previously are almost all because she is a beautiful international model, not because she became Melania Trump.
Melania currently designs jewelry or at least did before becoming First Lady. She has sold it on shopping networks such as QVC. Nothing unusual about that... though it is interesting that such a well-to-do lady would even bother hawking stuff to the public. But then, Melania always has been a hard-working, independent woman.
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A photoshoot for the 2016 campaign at the Trump pad in Trump Tower in New York City. |
By 2000, Melania was campaigning with Donald Trump as he tentatively ran for the Reform Party nomination. He ultimately did not pursue it past the early stages. But, they both got a small taste of campaigning - together.
Melania did some television ads while she was dating Donald Trump. For instance, in one Aflac spot in the early 2000s, she appeared with comedian Gilbert Gottfried.
Donald proposed to Melania in 2004, and they married on January 22, 2005. They had been together for the better part of a decade at that point.
The wedding at The Episcopal Church in Palm Beach and reception at Mar-a-Lago was a high society event. Attendees included 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, and then-Senator Hillary Clinton and former president Bill Clinton. Billy Joel sang "Just the Way You Are" and "The Lady is a Tramp" (with altered lyrics).
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Donald and Melania Trump with Barron Trump. |
- Honorary Chairwoman for The Boy's Club of New York for five consecutive years;
- In 2005, The American Red Cross awarded her with the title of Goodwill Ambassador.
- In 2008, she rang the closing bell at NASDAQ to commemorate the Fifth Annual National Love Our Children Day and the beginning of National Child Abuse Prevention Month.
Melania long ago told the New York Times how she would approach the role of First Lady:
"I would be very traditional, like Betty Ford or Jackie Kennedy."She appeared to emulate Jackie at her husband's inauguration.
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Donald and Melania Trump after a Presidential Debate in Colorado in 2016. |
Melania was not particularly religious as a child. She was not baptized, and she did not practice Catholicism, which is the most common religion in her region. It would have been uncommon for a Party member's child to practice any religion.... except Communism, that is. However, since becoming First Lady, Melania Trump has indicated through various subtle gestures that she at the very least is a Christian, and perhaps a Catholic. For instance, Melania has read the Lord's Prayer at a rally - something unheard of in US national politics, but nobody seemed to mind. Melania also donned a veil for an audience with the Pope and treated the entire audience with the greatest respect. However, otherwise, Melania remains quiet about her religious leanings.
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Melania in 2006. Well, Melania and Barron. Sort of. |
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And add Donald Trump. Look, they are proud of these pictures, nobody created them without their knowledge and there has been no attempt to suppress them. |
"I was a very successful model and I did some photo shoots. Yes, they were a little risky, (but) nothing more than you see each year in Sports Illustrated."Well... they were kind of "risky," even for Sports Illustrated. But they were not, you know, over the line. They were European artsy photos which often get quite provocative. That's just how the modeling business rolls.
Melania wanted to become a model from a young age. She sketched designs for clothes, like her mom, and took art classes. However, simply wanting to be a model does not make one a top international model. Melania's rise required the help of many people and, of course, her innate gifts. Simply getting to New York at all was a monumental achievement for a simple girl from Slovenia. Anything beyond that, as they say, was gravy.
Melania's parents are comfortable in their own right and do not impose on their son-in-law's wealth. The keep the same one-car garage riverside house that they built in the 1980s. They do spend the vast majority of their time in the US now, helping Melania with Barron. However, they keep a very low profile and never make the news.
Melania has commented about her becoming a citizen:
"I went through a whole long process [to become a citizen]. It didn't even cross my mind to just stay here. I think people should follow the law."Melania, of course, automatically would have become a citizen when she married US citizen Donald Trump.
Melania has an earthy attitude about her husband. A contestant on "The Apprentice" once said to Melania: "You're very, very lucky."
"Thank you," Melania, holding a glass of champagne, replied, smiling. "And he's not lucky?"
Most would agree that he is, in fact, quite lucky. They both are. Would you rather be lucky or President? Donald Trump would rather be both. And he is.
Melania has commented about her relationship:
“We don’t have fights. We disagree but that’s OK. That’s very good in the relationship. I tell him my way and he accepts that, and I tell him what I think and he’s the same. He thinks what he thinks.”People sometimes claim that Melania does not provide "intimate details" about Donald. She says they like to spend time together, do this and that ... but, critics complain, no intimate details. Well, maybe so, but you must take into account that Melania comes from a different culture with a different manner of expressing things. Nobody wants to cut Melania any slack and imply that lack of details means there is something wrong with her relationship with Donald Trump. However, just because Melania looks like the girl next door doesn't mean that she has the attitudes and ways of the girl next door.
Melania continues to have a keen fashion sense and always is perfectly coiffed. Melania retains the sleek elegance of a top model and routinely wears clothes by top designers such as Dolce & Gabbana, who say they are thrilled at the exposure and are not overly interested in U.S. politics.
The 2016 Presidential campaign brought Melania a brand new spotlight.
Melania gave a speech at the Republican National Convention that included some quotes from somebody else's speech, for which the campaign had to apologize. As the campaign explained, it was the fault of a veteran speechwriter who had not properly vetted the speech. Mr. Trump and Melania forgave the speechwriter because everyone makes mistakes and she meant well. It was an innocent mistake, and Melania is no political pro. Fortunately, everyone seems to have gotten over the incident, in large part because Melania was extremely gracious in saying that she greatly admired Michelle Obama, from whom the offending passage was borrowed. It was an extraordinary moment and helped to save Donald Trump's campaign after the initial gaffe.
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Melania with VP candidate Mike Pence's wife Karen in Pennsylvania. |
Melania kept a fairly low profile during the 2016 campaign, but then, the Trump family is large and vocal. Melania didn't really need to go on the stump to spread the family's message. Everybody looked forward to her elegant appearance whenever she turned up. After the election, she gave a very well-received speech in which she quoted the Lord's Prayer. As noted above, Melania comes from a different environment. Others might not express themselves that way - but Melania does. And many people love it.
Despite not giving a lot of speeches and so forth, Melania Trump proved to be a key asset of the campaign as candidate Trump climbed slowly but steadily in the polls.

Late in the campaign, Melania gave a well-received speech in Pennsylvania. Huge lines snaked across the parking lot of people who wanted to see the future First Lady. She wowed the crowd.
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Melania and Jackie: who wore it better (source: THE STAR). |
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Melania wore a custom sky-blue Ralph Lauren ensemble (Photo: Getty Images). |
Melania and son Barron remained in New York City after the inauguration so that Barron could finish out the school year. Only after he finished his school year, when it was right for her son, would Melania move down to Washington. New York, in fact, came to DC for the inauguration: Melania and Barron were the "Big Apple" of President Trump's eye as he took the oath of office.
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Donald Trump takes the oath of office (Credit: Andrew Harnik, AP). |
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Donald and Melania at an inauguration ball (courtesy CNN). |
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Melania emulating Sophia Loren? Here's Sophia's take on that. |
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Melania handles herself with poise and dignity (Courtesy CNN). |
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A billboard featuring Melania Trump in Zagreb, Croatia (billboard designed by Ivis Buric and Ivan Turcin for the ). The billboards quickly were taken down after legal threats from the Trumps. |
We apologise unreservedly to The First Lady and her family for any embarrassment caused by our publication of these allegations. As a mark of our regret we have agreed to pay Mrs Trump substantial damages as well as her legal costs.What does all this say about Melania? Hard to say, but everyone keeps a close eye on her, that's for sure.
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An apology printed on January 26, 2019, by The Telegraph to Melania Trump. |
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Melania Trump at a state dinner in Tokyo on 6 November 2017, wearing a Valentino draped silk gown with matching Manolo Blahnik stilettos (Reuters). |
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Melania dons a black turtleneck and double-face cashmere wheat-colored wrap skirt from Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen’s “The Row” label while touring the Great Wall of China (AP/Ng Han Guan). |
2020
What about the Alé de Basseville's photos ????
ReplyDeleteI have seen all of the First Ladies since Eleanor Roosevelt to Michelle Obama, and none of them have appeared naked in the press. Melania Trump is not an appropriate person to be in the White House. Her behavior is disgusting. Donald Trump obviously married her as "arm candy" as they describe it.
ReplyDeleteTrump, her husband can't carry on a conversation without lying in every other sentence. His attention span is less than that of a flea. He has no idea of modern military practices or of the current wold situation. He cannot discuss ANY subject other than his hatred of other candidates.
You are an idiot.
DeleteShe is beautiful - with our without clothes. She is a piece of art. I would hate to see either Eleanor Roosevelt or Michelle Obama naked. What is appropriate to us is obviously inappropriate to you and we live in a democracy - so respect my opinion.
ReplyDeleteabsolutely agree with you; Melania is a pleasure to look at; she is her own person and a strong one. She is gifted too. Get used to the classy first lady.
DeleteLet's add that she is very smart, educated, speaks 5 languages and on top of it all she is the most beautiful First Lady ever.
ReplyDeleteÇa va!
ReplyDelete