Who is Melania Trump? A Look at Donald Trump's Wife's Upbringing in Slovenia

Melania Trump, née Melania Knauss, original name Melanija Knavs, (born April 26, 1970, Novo Mesto, Yugoslavia [now in Slovenia]), American first lady (2017–21), the wife of Donald Trump, 45th president of the United States. She was only the second foreign-born first lady, after Louisa Adams.

Melanija Knavs grew up in Sevnica, Yugoslavia (now in Slovenia), where her father sold cars and her mother worked in the textile industry. She attended the University of Ljubljana for one year before leaving to pursue a career in modeling. She found success, first in Slovenia and later—under the name Melania Knauss—in Milan and Paris. In 1996 she was brought to New York by Paolo Zampolli’s modeling agency. In the course of her career she appeared on the covers of several magazines, and in 2000 she modeled for Sports Illustrated’s popular swimsuit edition.