Melania Trump, born Melanija Knavs on April 26, 1970, is a Slovenian-American former model who worked internationally in the 1990s and early 2000s. She arrived in the United States in 1996, where she was represented by ID Models through Paolo Zampolli and later by Trump Model Management. She met Donald Trump in 1998, married him in 2005, and served as First Lady of the United States from 2017 to 2021 and again beginning in 2025.

Melania was born in Novo Mesto, Slovenia, then part of Yugoslavia, and raised in a middle-class family. Her mother, Amalija Knavs, worked as a patternmaker, instilling in Melania an early interest in fashion. At age 16, she was discovered by Slovenian fashion photographer Stane Jerko and began her modeling career. After graduating high school, Melania briefly enrolled in the Faculty of Architecture at the University of Ljubljana but dropped out after a few months to pursue modeling full-time. She worked internationally throughout Europe before moving to New York City in 1996.

Upon arriving in New York in 1996, Melania was represented by ID Models, an agency operated by Paolo Zampolli. It was through Zampolli's network that she was introduced to Donald Trump at a Fashion Week party in September 1998. She later gained representation with Trump Model Management, the modeling agency owned by Donald Trump. Melania's modeling portfolio included editorial work and commercial assignments. She appeared in magazines and worked steadily throughout the late 1990s and early 2000s. In March 2001, Melania received a green card through the EB-1 program, sometimes referred to as an "Einstein visa" or "genius visa." The EB-1 classification is reserved for individuals who demonstrate "sustained national or international acclaim." The specific grounds on which Melania qualified for this visa category have been the subject of media speculation and scrutiny. She married Donald Trump on January 22, 2005, and their son Barron was born in 2006.

Sources

Wikipedia; Distractify; The Daily Beast; USA TODAY/AOL; Archive.org; Malay Mail; Fashion Model Directory.