Melania Trump has returned to the White House for a second time as the First Lady of the United States, but her influence and legacy extend beyond her role as the wife of the commander-in-chief.
Before meeting President Donald Trump, she had already established herself upon arriving in the United States at the age of 26.
Born Melania Knauss, she emigrated from Slovenia in 1996 with a sense of “youthful confidence.”
“As an adult, there comes a moment when you become solely responsible for the life you lead,” she writes in her bestselling memoir, *Melania.*
“You must take charge, embrace that responsibility, and become the architect of your own future.”
The official portrait of first lady Melania Trump was captured on Jan. 21, 2025, in the Yellow Oval Room of the residence by esteemed photographer Régine Mahaux. (White House)
Two years after settling in Manhattan, Melania Knauss met real estate mogul Donald J. Trump at a party while pursuing her modeling career.
“He wanted my number, but he was with a date, so of course, I didn’t give it to him,” she recalled in a 2016 interview with *Harper’s Bazaar.*
“I said, ‘I am not giving you my number; you give me yours, and I will call you.’ I wanted to see what kind of number he would give me—if it was a business number, ‘What is this? I’m not doing business with you.’”
In response, Trump provided all of his contact numbers, including those for Mar-a-Lago and his New York home. Within a week, Melania decided to call him.
Melania Knaus moved to America when she was only 26 years old and started a career in the modeling industry. (Diane Freed)
American socialite Mary Trump spent time with her son, real estate developer Donald Trump, and his then-girlfriend, former model Melania Knauss, as they posed together at the Mar-a-Lago club, Palm Beach, Florida, Feb. 27, 2000. (Davidoff Studios/Getty Images)
The Trumps are pictured early on in their relationship. “I was struck by his energy… He has an amazing sense of vitality,” Melania Trump said in a magazine interview about her then-future husband. (Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)
“I was struck by his energy… He has an amazing sense of vitality,” Melania Trump told the magazine.
In the years that followed, Donald Trump finalized his second divorce, and the couple experienced a brief split before eventually rekindling their relationship, as Melania has shared in interviews.
In 2004, Trump proposed to her on one of New York City’s most glamorous nights—the Met Gala.
The following year, they exchanged vows in a lavish wedding that was widely described as fit for royalty, featuring a breathtaking gown worn by the bride and an opulent reception at Mar-a-Lago.
The couple is shown celebrating with friends on New Year’s Eve before they were married on Jan. 22, 2005. (Davidoff Studios/Getty Images)
Melania Trump waves after marrying Donald Trump at The Episcopal Church of Bethesda by-the-Sea in West Palm Beach, on Jan. 22, 2005. (Jeffrey Langlois/Palm Beach Daily News/Imagn)
Melania Trump, young Barron Trump and Donald Trump attend the 16th Annual Bunny Hop at FAO Schwartz to benefit the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in 2007. (Peter Kramer/Getty Images for MSKCC)
Melania Trump and son Barron Trump are shown at the 19th annual Bunny Hop hosted by the Associates Committee of The Society of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center at FAO Schwarz 2010. (Bryan Bedder/Getty Images)
The Trumps with young son Barron on Nov. 30, 2011, in New York City. (Gary Gershoff/Getty Images for NBC)
The couple during the 13th Annual Elton John AIDS Foundation Oscar Party in 2011, co-hosted by Chopard – Arrivals at Pacific Design Center in L.A. (Jean-Paul Aussenard/WireImage)
https://t.co/ZCTwZSqZND pic.twitter.com/YojF8wESMp
— MELANIA TRUMP (@MELANIATRUMP) September 12, 2024
President Trump and first lady Melania Trump walk in the inaugural parade on Jan. 20, 2017, in Washington, D.C., after he was sworn in as the nation’s 45th president. (Kevin Dietsch – Pool/Getty Images)
The president and first lady pose for a photo as they visit members of the military at a dining hall at Al Asad Air Base, Iraq, Dec. 26, 2018. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
Melania Trump visits the Children’s Inn at National Institutes of Health on Valentine’s Day on on Feb. 14, 2020, in Bethesda, Maryland. (Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)
The first lady is shown next to the front cover of her new book, a “deeply personal and reflective journey for me,” she wrote in it. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images;Amazon)
President-elect Donald Trump kisses Melania Trump as he arrives for the inauguration ceremony before he is sworn in as 47th president in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 20, 2025. (Saul Loeb/Pool via REUTERS)
The Trumps attend the Commander-In-Chief Inaugural Ball at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 20, 2025. President Trump was elected as the nation’s 47th president on Nov. 5, 2024 — only the second president ever to serve two non-consecutive terms. (JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images)
Barron Trump, youngest child of the president, gestures during an indoor inauguration parade at Capital One Arena on Jan. 20, 2025, in D.C. (Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)
Melania Trump recently visited a neighborhood affected by Hurricane Helene in Swannanoa, North Carolina, while President Trump spoke about hurricane relief. (MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)
Melania Trump and the president on a visit to California on Jan. 24, 2025, to see the region devastated by the Palisades and Eaton fires. (MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)
From model to first lady, Melania Trump is back in the White House. (Getty Images; White House)
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