Trump’s first week in office has been nothing short of a whirlwind—especially with some eyebrow-raising executive orders. Among the most contentious were the ones concerning gender recognition (only two, by the way) and a declaration of a state of emergency at the Mexican border. But it’s the immigration-related orders that have really got people talking, especially given the irony of Melania Trump’s immigrant background.
You see, Melania Trump—born Melanija Knavs in the now-Slovenian town of Novo Mesto—has her own immigrant story. As millions of people point out, her own life story and family’s immigration path seem to be at odds with some of the policies being put forth by her husband. Talk about a family dynamic!
So, what’s Melania’s ethnicity and background?
Melania was born into a working-class Slovenian family—her parents, Viktor and Amalija, were both Slovenians. She wasn’t just a typical small-town girl though—she had a keen eye for fashion and helped out at her mother’s children’s clothing factory. From a young age, Melania got into making her own clothes and entering design competitions. She went on to study at the Secondary School for Design and Photography in Ljubljana, and started modeling as a teenager.
Her path to becoming an American citizen wasn’t just about clothes and design, though. Melania’s modeling career took off when she was discovered at just 16 by photographer Stane Jerko. She quickly became successful, eventually changing her name from Melanija Knavs to Melania Knauss to make it sound a bit more glamorous for international gigs. Eventually, she made the leap to Paris for some time, before meeting Paolo Zampolli, a modeling agency owner who happened to be friends with Donald Trump. Zampolli encouraged Melania to move to the U.S., where he helped her settle in New York, find an apartment, and get some serious career opportunities.
The rest is history—she met Donald Trump in 1998, they started dating, and after a few on-again, off-again phases, they married in 2005. In 2001, she officially got her green card, and, while her public persona as First Lady may sometimes come across as reserved, Melania has long been supportive of her husband’s political career.
Ironically, Melania—who had her parents immigrate to the U.S. through the very chain immigration policies that Trump often criticizes—has become the first First Lady to gain citizenship by naturalization. She still holds onto her Slovenian nationality and has even taught her son Barron to speak Slovenian.
So, while Melania may stand by her husband’s policies (and has voiced her support in interviews), it’s hard not to notice the contrast between her personal immigration journey and the policies being rolled out by the Trump administration. It’s like the classic case of “do as I say, not as I do.” But hey, maybe it’s all just part of the Trump brand—controversial, complicated, and always a conversation starter.