15 Things YOU DIDN’T KNOW About Melania Trump!

 

15 Things You Didn’t Know About Melania Trump

 15.

 Where She’s From

 Born Melanija Knavs in the Slovenian city of Novo Mesto in 1970 (when the region was still Yugoslavia), First Lady of the United States Melania Trump was the youngest in a family of four.

 Her parents, Viktor and Amelia Knavs, oversaw a state-owned car and motorcycle dealership.

 They lived in a small townhouse with Melania and her older sister Ines.

 She is only the second first lady to originate from a foreign country.

 (The first was John Quincy Adams’s wife, Louisa Adams, who was English).

 And thus far, Melania is the only first lady raised in a communist nation.

 14.

 How She Got Started

 Introduced to the catwalk at the age of 5, Melania developed an interest in fashion as an art form early on.

 Her first appearance in a televised advertisement came when she was 16.

 Soon after, she met and worked with photographer Stane Jerko, who secured her professional representation through an agency after she turned 18.

 She subsequently found work all over Europe and changed her name to Melania Knauss.

 13.

 Her Arrival in the United States After an early departure from the University of Ljubljana, where she had studied architecture for a year, Melania moved to New York City in 1996.

 With the help of Metropolitan Models co-owner Paolo Zampolli, she secured an apartment in Union Square, a space she shared with another fashion photographer, Matthew Atanian, who told Vanity Fair in 2017 that Melania displayed tremendous discipline when it came to her professional pursuits and personal health.

 She sustained herself entirely on a fruit and vegetable diet, and even wore ankle weights around the house to maintain her fitness.

 When she rarely ventured out to socialize, it was for dinner dates with older men, from which she would always return before midnight.

 Over the next ten years, Melania was featured in Elle, Self and Allure, with cover appearances for Harper’s Bazaar and Vogue.

 12.

 How She Met The Donald It was during Fashion Week 1998, at a party thrown by their mutual friend Paolo Zampolli, that Donald and Melania Trump first met.

 Despite being on a date with a Norwegian cosmetics heiress, Donald approached the 28-year-old eastern European and requested her number.

 In the years that followed, she proudly told friends that she got his number instead.

 She then let him wait a few days before calling.

 They had their first date soon afterward at Moomba NYC, which was a favorite hang-out spot for New York’s rich and famous until it closed in 2001.

 He proposed to her in 2004 at the Met Gala.

 11.

 Her Star-Studded Wedding With a guest list that included Tony Bennett, Elton John, Billy Joel, Shaquille O’Neal, Heidi Klum, Katie Couric, and even the Clintons, the Trumps’ 2005 wedding was an event to remember.

 After seven years together, Donald and Melania were married in an Anglican service.

 A reception followed at Trump’s now-famous Mar-a-Lago country club.

 The future first lady wore a $100,000 Christian Dior gown, which took over 500 hours to embroider.

 She is Donald’s third wife; his first two were Ivana Zelnickova and Marla Maples.

 10.

 Her Unlikely Cameos

 Towards the beginning of the movie Zoolander, when various real-life public figures are commenting on Derek Zoolander’s success, Melania can be spotted next to Donald during one five-second clip in which Donald states, “Look, without Derek Zoolander, male modeling wouldn’t be what it is today.” She also appeared in a 2005 Aflac commercial in which she is referred to as “Mrs. Trump” and a Frankenstein-esque mad scientist switches her brain with the iconic Aflac duck.

 9.

 The Questions Regarding Her Citizenship Melania officially gained her designation as a U.S. citizen in 2006.

 Ten years later, during her husband’s hard-fought presidential campaign, it became a subject of controversy as to how long and under what circumstances Melania was legally working in the United States.

 According to documentation obtained by Politico, Melania may have overstayed a B-1 business visa, which permits a shorter stay than an H-1B work visa.

 In order to prove she didn’t commit visa fraud, Melania would need to release her official immigration documents, which seems unlikely given her husband’s stance on releasing personal records.

 In August 2016, Melania provided a statement via Twitter saying, “I have at all times been in full compliance with the immigration laws of this country.” 8.

 Her Favorite TV Show In July 2016, Melania told Us Weekly that her favorite TV show is ABC’s How to Get Away with Murder, starring Viola Davis.

 In a humorous coincidence, Melania shared this one week after Donald said at a campaign appearance, “I could stand in the middle of 5th Avenue and shoot somebody and I wouldn’t lose any voters.”

 Melania did not state whether she and Donald watch the show together.

 7.

 Her Son

 Donald and Melania’s only child together (Donald’s fifth and youngest) Barron William Trump was born on March 20, 2006.

 As he grew, Melania taught Barron to speak both English and her native language, Slovene.

 Barron currently attends an elite prep school in New York and was kept out of the public eye for the most of the campaign.

 Friends say Melania is deeply devoted to Barron, focusing intensely on his wellness, regularly picking him up from school and assuring that he is able to spend time with other kids his age despite the family’s high-profile and, at times, isolated status.

 6.

 Her House

 Instead of moving into the White House after her husband won the U.S. presidency, Melania chose to remain in their penthouse apartment in New York.

 Initially, the reasoning for her choice of residence was so that Barron could finish the school year, but neither the president’s team nor the first lady’s staff have provided information as to when a potential move to Washington D.C. would take place.

 The Trump Tower residence, consisting of the top three floors, was modeled by designer Angelo Donghia after the palaces of great kings.

 Almost every surface of the place is plated or edged with 24-karat gold or fine marble.

 5.

 Her Role as Her Husband’s Media Watchdog In May 2017, it was reported that Melania scours news articles and cable news broadcasts for what she perceives as negative or disparaging coverage of President Trump.

 She then alerts him to such coverage.

 According to officials within the Trump Administration, the first lady is highly concerned with how her husband’s policies are conveyed to the public as well as the efficiency with which his senior staff communicates or defends those initiatives.

 Troubled by leaks and background quotes originating from the West Wing, Melania has made it clear to Trump allies that the success of her husband’s presidency is among her highest priorities.

 Many sources who are close to the family say it is unwise to underestimate her.

 4.

 Her Cordial Exchanges with the Michelle Obama Two days after her husband was elected president, Melania Trump met with First Lady Michelle Obama for a meeting over tea at the White House.

 According to Josh Earnest, the White House press secretary at the time, Mrs. Trump and Mrs. Obama discussed the benefits and challenges of raising children in the nation’s most famous mansion as well as the work that goes into refurbishing the iconic residence for each new first family.

 Despite their husbands’ radically different viewpoints and past rivalries, Mrs. Obama hosted the incoming first lady in honor of the peaceful transfer of power that has continued from president to president for the nation’s entire 241-year history.

 Just over two months later, on the day of President Trump’s inauguration, Melania presented the Obamas with a silver Tiffany’s picture frame as a farewell gift.

 3.

 Her Staff

 Soon after the inauguration, the new first lady assembled her staff.

 Due to the unconventional arrangement the Trumps have, with the president living in the nation’s capital while Melania and Barron reside in New York, Melania does not have as large of a staff as many of her predecessors did.

 The East Wing of the White House, a space typically designated for the first lady and her activities, has been described by some current West Wing staffers as “a ghost town.” But in order to keep the executive mansion running as both a functioning museum and a venue for hosting the world’s most powerful people, the first lady needs a group of people working for her whether she resides there or not.

 Melania’s first decision in this new role was to hire Lindsay Reynolds, a veteran of the most recent Bush administration, as chief of staff to the first lady.

 Also brought on board as a senior advisor was Stephanie Wolkoff, a close personal friend of Melania’s who she has known since her early years in the New York social scene.

 For the crucial position of White House decorator, Melania selected Tham Kannalikham, a former designer of home furnishings for Ralph Lauren.

 2.

 Her Lawsuit

 In February 2017, Melania Trump filed a lawsuit against the U.K. publication The Daily Mail alleging that a 2016 story published in the tabloid that made lewd suggestions about her career as a model was defamatory.

 Her lawyers stated at the time that Melania was seeking $150,000,000 in damages.

 The motivation behind the lawsuit was criticized, however, due to language within it stating the first lady had the “unique opportunity...to launch a broad-based commercial brand in multiple product categories,” an opportunity she alleged had been negatively affected by the story.

 This assertion led many to accuse Mrs. Trump of attempting to profit from her elevated position as first lady.

 The suit was later settled with an undisclosed amount being paid to Melania, though it was likely far lower than the nine figures proposed in the original complaint.

 1.

 Her Visit to the Vatican Melania Trump joins Jacqueline Kennedy as the only Catholic first ladies in the history of the United States.

 During President Trump’s recent trip abroad to five allied nations, Melania had the opportunity to meet Pope Francis in Vatican City.

 After a solemn meeting with the president, the pope apparently lit up upon meeting the first lady.

 Gesturing to her husband, the Holy Father jokingly asked, “What do you give him to eat?

 Potica?”

 This was a reference to a highly popular dessert that originates from Slovenia.

 Melania laughed.

 She then handed the pope a rosary, which he blessed for her, adding a prayer for her future health and good fortune.