Melania Trump Fast Facts
CNN Editorial Research
(CNN) — Here is a look at the life of Melania Trump, wife of 45th US President Donald Trump.
Personal
Birth date: April 26, 1970
Birth place: Novo Mesto, Yugoslavia (now Slovenia)
Birth name: Melanija Knavs
Father: Viktor Knavs
Mother: Amalija (Ulcnik) Knavs
Marriage: Donald Trump (January 22, 2005-present)
Children: Barron
Education: University of Ljubljana, Yugoslavia (now Slovenia)
Other Facts
Changed the spelling of her name from Melanija Knavs to Melania Knauss while modeling professionally.
Speaks six languages: Slovenian, French, Serbian, German, Italian and English.
She is the second foreign-born first lady in US history, after Louisa Adams, the English-born wife of sixth US president John Quincy Adams, who served from 1825 to 1829.
Became a model in Yugoslavia at the age of 16.
She has appeared in magazines such as GQ, Vanity Fair and Sports Illustrated.
Timeline
1996 – Moves to the United States, heading to New York to work for ID Models.
1998 – Meets Trump at a party at the Kit Kat Club in New York.
2000 – Appears in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue.
March 19, 2001 – Obtains her green card.
July 2006 – Becomes a US citizen.
2010 – Launches her jewelry line, Melania Timepieces and Jewelry, on QVC.
April 2013 – Launches a caviar-based skincare line, Melania Caviar Complexe C6.
July 18, 2016 – Parts of her campaign speech during the 2016 Republican National Convention are alleged to have been plagiarized from a speech delivered by First Lady Michelle Obama at the Democratic National Convention in 2008. A speechwriter working for Donald Trump’s company later assumes responsibility for the similarities in the two speeches.
September 1, 2016 – Files a defamation lawsuit against British newspaper The Daily Mail and the US-based blog Tarpley, accusing them of publishing claims that she was an escort in the 1990s. The Daily Mail and Tarpley both issue retractions.
November 3, 2016 – During a campaign speech in Philadelphia, Trump announces she intends to make ending social media bullying her focus as first lady.
November 20, 2016 – Donald Trump confirms he will live in the White House as president, but says Melania and their son, Barron, will remain in New York initially, so that Barron can finish out the year at the same school.
January 20, 2017 – Becomes first lady of the United States.
February 2, 2017 – A Maryland judge dismisses Trump’s defamation lawsuit against British newspaper The Daily Mail on jurisdictional grounds. Previously, it was ruled that Trump’s lawsuit against blogger Webster Griffin Tarpley will move forward.
February 6, 2017 – Trump’s lawyers refile the defamation lawsuit against British newspaper The Daily Mail. This time it is filed in the Supreme Court of New York where its publisher, Mail Media Inc., has offices.
February 7, 2017 – Trump’s defamation lawsuit against Tarpley is settled.
April 12, 2017 – Trump’s defamation lawsuit against The Daily Mail and Mail Online is settled for $2.9 million.
September 23, 2017 – Trump arrives in Canada for her first solo foreign trip as first lady, traveling to Toronto to lead the US delegation to the Invictus Games. She meets with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Great Britain’s Prince Harry, before attending the opening ceremony of the Paralympic-style games.
March 20, 2018 – At a roundtable event with technology executives, Trump addresses those who have criticized her for taking on a platform that includes cyberbullying saying, “I have been criticized for my commitment to tackling this issue and I know that will continue. But it will not stop me from doing what I know is right.”
May 7, 2018 – Trump announces her formal platform during a ceremony at the White House Rose Garden. The initiative, called “Be Best,” focuses on well-being, combating opioid abuse and positivity on social media.
May 14, 2018 – Undergoes a procedure to treat a benign kidney condition, according to a White House statement.
June 6, 2018 – Makes her first public appearance after the kidney procedure, attending a hurricane season preparedness briefing.
June 17, 2018 – Issues a statement, via her spokeswoman, expressing concern about family separation at the border: “Mrs. Trump hates to see children separated from their families and hopes both sides of the aisle can finally come together to achieve successful immigration reform. She believes we need to be a country that follows all laws, but also a country that governs with heart.”
June 21, 2018 – Visits facilities in Texas that are housing children separated from their parents at the border.
August 9, 2018 – Trump’s parents, Viktor and Amalija Knavs, are granted US citizenship, according to their immigration attorney. They obtain their citizenship through the sponsorship of their adult daughter, one of the categories of family visas that the Trump administration has sought to end.
October 2-6, 2018 – Makes a solo trip abroad, visiting Ghana, Malawi, Kenya and Egypt on a tour of Africa.
January 26, 2019 – British magazine, The Telegraph, issues an apology to Trump for the article titled “The Mystery of Melania,” that included several inaccuracies about her life and her family.
March 5, 2020 – Receives criticism after she shares pictures on social media of the private White House tennis pavilion renovations amidst the coronavirus outbreak.
October 2, 2020 – Donald Trump announces that he and Melania have tested positive for coronavirus.
October 13, 2020 – The Justice Department files a lawsuit against Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, an ex-friend and former adviser to Trump, claiming she breached a confidentiality agreement by publishing a tell-all book. The complaint asserts that neither the first lady, her chief of staff nor the White House counsel’s office received a draft of the book from Wolkoff and that the former adviser never sought authorization to disclose details of her work for the first lady. On February 8, 2021, the Justice Department drops the lawsuit.
December 16, 2021 – Trump announces she is selling an NFT, or a non-fungible token, titled “Melania’s Vision.” The NFT is the first digital art to be sold on her newly launched platform, which will release NFTs regularly and is powered by Parler.
January 4, 2022 – Trump announces an auction of some of her personal items, including a white hat she wore during a visit from French President Emmanuel Macron in 2018, a watercolor painting, and an NFT of the white hat.
April 11, 2023 – The Office of Melania Trump issues a statement after she did not appear at her husband’s court appearance on April 4.
September 2024 – It is reported that Trump was paid $237,500 to speak at an April 2024 Log Cabin Republicans event. It is not clear who paid the fee.
October 8, 2024 – Trump’s memoir, “Melania,” is published. Following an interview request from CNN, Trump’s publisher requested $250,000. CNN declined. The memoir also reveals her support for abortion rights.
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