close
close

Yiamastaverna

Trusted News & Timely Insights

    • Age, family, book, career, more
    Michigan

    Age, family, book, career, more

    Caradoc Wyn Posted on

    Melania Trump stood by her husband, now President-elect Donald Trump, during his speech early Wednesday morning in West Palm Beach, Florida.

    “I also want to thank my beautiful wife, Melania, First Lady,” Trump said, prompting cheers from his supporters. He added: “Who has the best-selling book in the country? Can you believe that?”

    Trump walked up to her and kissed her on the cheek before walking back to the podium.

    “She has done a great job and works very hard to help people,” he continued.

    Trump’s victory over Vice President Kamala Harris will make Melania first lady for a second term. Here’s what you should know about them.

    More about the Trump family: A Guide to the Trump Family: The Entire Family Tree, Including Children, Wives, Parents

    How old is Melania Trump?

    Melania Trump, born Melanija Knavs on April 26, 1970, is 54 years old. She eventually changed her name to Melania Knauss.

    Where is Melania Trump from?

    Melania Trump was born in Slovenia. She moved to New York in 1996 and met Trump at a fashion event two years later.

    She received U.S. citizenship in 2006, a year after tying the knot with Trump. Their wedding took place at Mar-a-Lago.

    She was a model

    According to The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Network, Melania Trump began modeling at a young age. She was only 16 years old when she started her career and finally signed with an agency. She was able to work in Milan and Paris.

    She recently defended her previous nude modeling work in a video promoting her new memoir, “Melania.”

    “Can we no longer appreciate the beauty of the human body?” Trump asks in the 45-second video. “We should honor our bodies and embrace the timeless tradition of using art as a powerful means of self-expression.”

    Melania is mother and stepmother

    Melania and Donald Trump have one child together, Barron, 18 years old.

    She has four stepchildren: Ivanka, Donald Jr., Eric and Tiffany.

    Her speech at the 2016 Republican National Convention was controversial

    Melania was accused of plagiarizing part of an old speech by former First Lady Michelle Obama during a speech at the RNC in 2016.

    Trump’s campaign denied that the speech was intentionally plagiarized and praised it as “beautiful.” They also blamed Hillary Clinton’s team for pushing the story. However, NPR reported that a Trump campaign writer apologized for using elements from Obama’s 2008 speech.

    “This was my mistake and I feel terrible for the chaos I caused for Melania and the Trumps and Mrs. Obama,” aide Meredith McIver reportedly said in a statement at the time. “Nothing bad was meant.”

    Melania Trump became First Lady in 2017

    In 2017, Melania Trump became the first foreign-born first lady in nearly two centuries. She attended the inauguration in a custom sky blue Ralph Lauren ensemble.

    Melania decided not to move into the White House at the start of the Trump administration so Barron could finish the school year in New York. In June, she and her son moved from Trump Tower to Pennsylvania Avenue.

    According to CNN, her former senior adviser Stephanie Winston Wolkoff unknowingly recorded her complaining in 2018 about the observance of first lady traditions, particularly Christmas decorations.

    “I’m working… my a-off on the Christmas stuff, you know, who cares about the Christmas stuff and decorations? But I have to do it, right?” she reportedly said on the tape.

    In 2018, their Christmas theme was “American Treasures.”

    “Be Best” campaign

    Melania Trump launched the “Be Best” campaign in 2018, a program that addresses “three” pillars: social media use, wellness and opioid abuse.

    “As a mother and first lady, it concerns me that in today’s fast-paced and increasingly connected world, children may be less willing to express or manage their emotions. And often they turn to forums about destructive or addictive behavior such as bullying, drug addiction or even suicide,” she said. “I am very pleased to announce ‘Be Best’, an awareness campaign dedicated to the most precious and fragile among us, our children.”

    According to CNN, the announcement came more than a year after she began her role as first lady. The column condemning cyberbullying on social media drew criticism, with people criticizing Trump for using social media platforms to mock political opponents.

    In 2019, the slogan “Be Best” went viral after Trump mocked teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg after she was named TIME Magazine’s “Person of the Year.”

    She released her self-titled memoir this year

    In her memoir, published on October 8, she addressed the 2020 presidential election and how she believes it was stolen, her stance on abortion rights and her reaction to Rosie O’Donnell implying that her son Barron had autism afterward -Spectrum was Trump won in 2016.

    “I was horrified by this cruelty. It was clear to me that she was not interested in raising awareness of autism,” Melania wrote. “I felt like she was attacking my son because she didn’t like my husband.”

    She added: “There is nothing shameful about autism (although O’Donnell’s tweet suggested so), but Barron is not autistic,” she says. “…Bullying a ten-year-old boy is outrageous, but doing so under the flimsy pretense of ‘getting attention’…is truly disgusting.”

    Contributors: Dan Morrison, Rachel Barber, USA TODAY

    Taylor Ardrey is a news reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach her at [email protected].

    Tagged:

    LEAVE A RESPONSE

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Caradoc Wyn
    View all posts

    You Might Also Like

    ads