Who Is Melania Trump?

Born on April 26, 1970, First Lady Melania Trumpis a former model and the third wife of U.S. President, real estate billionaire and former realityTVstarDonald Trump.

First Lady

On November 8, 2016, Donald Trump won the majority of electoral college votes and was elected the 45th president of the United States in a stunning defeat of Hillary Clinton. With her husband s victory, Melania Trump became the first foreign-born U.S. first lady sinceLouisa Adams,John Quincy Adams s wife, who was born in London.

As Donald Trump prepared for his transition to power, he told reporters that Melania and their son Barron would stay in New York City while he moved into the White House, allowing Barron to finish the year at his private school on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. In June 2017, Melania and Barron finally joined the President in the White House.

An early attempt to use the first lady platform for public good generated attention for the wrong reasons: In September, Melania sent apackage ofDr. Seussbooks to one deserving school in each state as part of National Read-a-Book Day. However, the gift was spurned by aMassachusetts elementary school librarian, who decried both the selection of her school and the choice of Dr. Seuss as a “tired and worn ambassador for children s literature.”

The first lady hoped to achieve better results through her passion for combating bullying. In October, she made a surprise visit withEducation Secretary Betsy DeVos to Orchard Lake Middle School in Michigan, aspart of the #NoOneEatsAlone initiative.”I always believe that you need to treat each other with respect, and kindness and compassion,” she told the students.

The following month, the secretive first lady was profiled inVanity Fair. According to the article, it was Melania who pushed a waffling Trump into announcing his candidacy for president, knowing that he would regret the missed opportunity if he didn t. On the flip side, she supposedly never expected to find herself in the White House. “This isn t something she wanted and it isn t something he ever thought he d win,” said one longtime friend of the couple. “She didn t want this come hell or high water. I don t think she thought it was going to happen.”

Whether or not she ever intended to live in the White House, the first lady went all-out for her first holiday season as a resident there. She publicly revealed her Christmas decorations on November 27, 2017, showcasing herBalsam fir trees draped with “icicles” and trimmed with glass ornaments emblazoned with the seal of each state and territory. The display reportedly came together with the assistance of 150 volunteers from 29 states.

“The President, Barron, and I are very excited for our first Christmas in the White House,” Melania said in a statement. “As with many families across the country, holiday traditions are very important to us. I hope when visiting the People s House this year, visitors will get a sense of being home for the holidays.”

Policy Focus and Controversies

In January 2018, Melania Trump hired 27-year-old Reagan Thompson, previously an executive assistant on the National Security Council and adviser to Congressman turned CIA DirectorMike Pompeo, to serve as her policy director. A spokesperson said the new hire would help prepare and roll out the first lady s official platform in the coming months.

The move came shortly after the publication of the explosive bookFire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House, which described Melania as an unwilling participant in her husband s campaign who broke down in tears the night he was elected. The first lady was reportedly angered by that account and instructed her staff to push back against the book s claims.

More controversy soon surfaced with a report that Donald Trump had been involved with an adult film star a decade earlier, with the starlet allegedly paid to keep quiet just before the 2016 election. The first lady subsequently canceled a trip to attend the World Economic Forum in Switzerland with her husband and kept a low profile for several days, prompting speculation of a rift between the two. Her spokesperson eventually broke the ice by slamming the “salacious & flat-out false reporting” on Twitter, and Melania followed by confirming that she would attend the president s State of the Union address on January 30.

Be Best and Border Enforcement

On May 7, 2018, Trump unveiled her platform, “Be Best.” The program will focus on three key objectives:well-being, fighting opioid abuse and positivity on social media.”As a mother and as first lady, it concerns me that in today s fast-paced and ever-connected world, children can be less prepared to express or manage their emotions and oftentimes turn to forms of destructive or addictive behavior such as bullying, drug addiction or even suicide,” she said.”I feel strongly that as adults we can and should be best at educating our children about the importance of a healthy and balanced life.”

The following month, the first lady weighed in on the controversial issue of children being separated from their parents after illegally crossing the Mexican border. Although her husband had blamed Democrats for a law that supposedly mandated such actions, it was part of Attorney GeneralJeff Sessions s zero-tolerance policy toward preventing illegal entry into the country.

“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 said in a statement through her spokesperson, Stephanie Grisham. “She believes we need to be a country that follows all laws, but also a country that governs with heart.”

A few days later, Trump made an unannounced visit to Upbring New Hope Children s Shelter in McAllen, Texas, to tour the facility and meet with children and staff. However, the visit itself was eclipsed by her decision to wear ajacketemblazoned with the message “I REALLY DON T CARE, DO U?” before leaving and again after returning to Andrews Air Force Base.

Her spokesperson downplayed the significance of thejacket, insisting there was no hidden message, but the president said it was directed at the “fake news media,” tweeting, “Melania has learned how dishonest they are, and she truly no longer cares!”

Health Scare

On May 14, 2018, Trump underwent kidney surgery atWalter Reed National Military Medical Center near Washington, D.C.”Melania Trump underwent an embolization procedure to treat a benign kidney issue. She will likely remain there for the duration of the week,” her office said in a statement.“The first lady looks forward to a full recovery so she can continue her work on behalf of children everywhere.”

Although she was out of the hospital after five days, the first lady continued to lie low in the following weeks, sparking more concern about her well-being. In early June, her spokesperson said that Trump wouldnot be joining her husband at the G7 summit in Quebec that week and there were “no plans” for her to travel to Singapore to meet with North Korean leaderKim Jong-unlater in the month.

Other Projects

In 2010, Melania Trump launched ajewelryline, as well as a skincare line. She has appeared in an Aflac commercial, co-hosted onThe View, and appeared on her husband s NBC reality show,Celebrity Apprentice.

Multilingual

Trump is said to be fluent in the Slovenian, English, French, Serbian and German languages, with other outlets reporting that she speaks Italian, as well.