By Steven Hobbe 
Melania Trump left her home country of Slovenia as a teenager, pursuing a modeling career in the United States and becoming one of the top models in New York. Her modeling career was put on hold when she met Donald Trump, and when their son Barron was born, she devoted her energy to raising her son.
but her father continues to lend supAlthough Melania has lived in the US for decades, she takes care to keep her heritage — and native language — alive. When she and Donald visited victims of the devastating LA wildfires, the First Lady was heard comforting a woman in her native language. Now, she’s being praised online.
Melania Trump’s journey to becoming First Lady of the United States for the second time is really quite astonishing. Born Melania Knauss on April 26, 1970, in Novo Mesto, Slovenia, she grew up in the small railway town of Sevnica.
Her father, Viktor, was a car mechanic and chauffeur, and her mother, Amalija, worked as a pattern-maker at a clothing factory. Amalija had a great passion for design and reportedly spent untold hours making clothes for Melania and her older sister, Ines.
Melania Trump – Slovenian heritage
In 1987, photographers didn’t really have the opportunity to find new faces for their work through the Internet. Instead, they sometimes chanced upon someone in real life.
At that point, Melania wanted to study to become an architect. But this was a big opportunity. Jerko, meanwhile, thought the girl had something special.
Melania attended the university in Ljubljana before pursuing her dream job as a model. In 1996, she left for New York City. There, she lived in a shared apartment at Gramercy Park, but given that she was 26 years old – much older than the average aspiring model at the time – it was a gamble that she’d put everything on the line for.
Melania Trump’s son Barron spoke in Slovenian accent
“My parents worked very hard to ensure our family could not only live and prosper in America but also contribute to a nation that allows for people to arrive with a dream and make it a reality,” she said.
Meanwhile, Viktor and Amalija had the pleasure of becoming grandparents. According to Politico, Donald and Melania’s son, Barron Trump, spent a significant amount of time with his grandma and grandpa growing up, and as a result he speaks Slovenian.
Another clip of a young Barron speaking with an accent resurfaced from the 2010 Larry King interview his parents did. The young boy appeared in his father’s office, saying, “I like my suitcase:”
Described her mother as a “second mother” to Barron
The New York Times reported that Melania’s parents “split their time among an apartment in Trump Tower, Mr. Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club in Florida and the suite in the White House once used by Mrs. Obama’s mother.”
Melania wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, “Amalija Knavs was a strong woman who always carried herself with grace, warmth, and dignity. She was entirely devoted to her husband, daughters, grandson, and son-in-law. We will miss her beyond measure and continue to honor and love her legacy.”
“Her life was incredible in Slovenia,” Melania said. “Once Barron was born, he was her focus. It’s almost like she was a second mother, especially because of my schedule in the White House and being so busy. They had an incredible bond. Her and Barron, it was [a] relationship like no other,” Melania concluded during the segment.
Melania Trump praised for speaking in her native language to wildfire victim
While Melania has become a true American, she has not let go of her Slovenian heritage. Only this past week did she revert to her mother tongue.
Donald and Melania Trump traveled to Los Angeles, where they met with Governor Gavin Newsom to discuss how to rebuild the many areas destroyed in the tragic wildfires a few weeks ago. On X, one user posted a touching 30-second clip in which Melania comforted victims of the wildfire. She did so by speaking with the woman in Slovenian.
“Seeing Melania so much more involved this time around is amazing,” one user wrote, per the Daily Mail.
A third stated: “First Lady Melania Trump speaks her native language to comfort those devastated by the wildfires. Even in a ballcap Melania shows her beauty and grace.”
Melania Trump’s infamous jacket incident
In her book I’ll Take Your Questions Now, Stephanie Grisham, who previously worked at Melania’s office, wrote that she didn’t notice the message on Melania’s jacket. At the time, Trump and his administration were under heavy criticism because of their policy of separating migrant children from their family members.
Melania’s visit was seen as a good opportunity for the administration to improve its image on the issue. In the end, they actually abandoned the program. When Melania came back from Texas, the President was furious. Donald was said to have summoned his wife to the Oval Office and yelled at her over her wearing of the tasteless jacket.
“He yelled and asked “what the [expletive]” they thought they were doing,” Grisham wrote in her memoir, as reported by The Washington Post.
“It’s obvious I didn’t wear the jacket for the children,” she said. “I wore the jacket to go on the plane and off the plane. And it was for the people and for the left-wing media who are criticizing me.”
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