Melania Trump. Biography

Melania Trump is an American social activist, former model and entrepreneur, wife of US President Donald Trump. She became the second first lady in the country's history to be born outside the United States, and the first to receive American citizenship by naturalization. About the life, career and public activities of the first lady of the USA — in the material of Izvestia.

Early years and education

Melania Trump (nee Melania Knavs) was born on April 26, 1970 in the city of Novo Mesto in Slovenia, which at that time was part of Yugoslavia. She spent her childhood in the small town of Sevnica, located on the banks of the Sava River. The parents of the future first lady of the United States were Victor and Amalia Knavs.

In 1985, Melania moved to Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia, where she enrolled in the secondary school of Design and Photography. As a teenager, she was interested in architecture, drawing, and fashion.

Melania later enrolled at the University of Ljubljana, where she studied design and architecture. However, she did not complete her higher education, as she decided to focus on a modeling career. She left her studies after a year.

Modeling career

Melania took her first steps in the modeling business at the age of 16. On one of the streets of Ljubljana, she was noticed by photographer Stane Yerko, who invited the girl to take part in a photo shoot. Soon she began modeling professionally.

In the late 1980s, Melania signed a contract with a modeling agency in Milan. Later, she worked in Italy and France, participated in advertising campaigns and shoots for fashion publications. During this period, the girl began to use the name Melania Knauss, changing the spelling of her last name.

In 1996, the model moved to New York, where she continued her career. She collaborated with famous photographers, including Patrick Demarchelier and Helmut Newton.

Meeting Donald Trump and his personal life

In September 1998, Melania met American entrepreneur Donald Trump at a party during New York Fashion Week. At that time, Trump was engaged in real estate, owned hotels and other commercial facilities.

In 2005, Melania said that her future husband was the first to approach her at an event. After meeting, the couple began dating, but initially tried not to draw excessive attention to their relationship.

In 2004, Donald Trump proposed to Melania. The wedding took place on January 22, 2005 at the Episcopal Church in Palm Beach, Florida. The reception was held at Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence.

Entrepreneurial and charitable activities

In addition to her modeling career, Melania was engaged in her own commercial projects. In April 2010, she presented a collection of watches and jewelry Melania Timepieces & Jewelry, created for the American TV channel-store QVC.

The line includes watches, necklaces, bracelets and other accessories. In the future, she also developed the direction of cosmetic skin care products.

In parallel, Melania participated in charity projects. In 2005, she received the status of goodwill ambassador of the American Red Cross, with whom she collaborated for four years.

She was also the honorary chairman of the Boys' charity organization. The Club of New York, which supports boys and young people. In 2010, Melania participated in the work of the American Heart Association.

First term as First Lady of the United States

Unlike most of her predecessors, Melania did not move into the White House immediately after her husband's inauguration. During the first months of his presidency, she stayed with her son in New York so that Barron could complete the school year. The family moved to Washington in June 2017.

As First lady, Melania accompanied the president on foreign trips, participated in state receptions, and visited schools, hospitals, and social institutions. She paid special attention to the support of children and their safety issues.

In May 2018, Melania launched the Be Best public initiative, aimed at protecting the well-being of children. The program included three main areas: physical and psychological health, Internet safety, and prevention of opioid abuse.

Return to the White House in 2025

After Donald Trump's victory in the 2024 presidential election, Melania once again became the first lady of the United States. She returned to her duties on January 20, 2025, after the inauguration of her husband as the 47th president of the country.

During her second term, she continued to work on programs aimed at protecting children, supporting education, and ensuring safety in the digital environment.

One of her initiatives was to promote the TAKE IT DOWN Act, which is aimed at preventing the dissemination of intimate images without the consent of the people depicted on them, including materials created using artificial intelligence.

On May 19, 2025, Donald Trump signed this law in the presence of his wife. Melania participated in its promotion and advocated for strengthening the protection of minors from digital exploitation.

In September 2025, the First Lady presented the international initiative Fostering the Future Together at the UN General Assembly. The project brought together representatives of various states to cooperate in education, technology development and child protection on the Internet.

Participation in humanitarian efforts to resolve the conflict in Ukraine

In 2025, Melania Trump began participating in humanitarian initiatives related to the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. The main focus of her activity was to facilitate the return of children separated from their relatives as a result of the fighting.

In August 2025, the first lady sent a letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin, in which she called for attention to be paid to the situation of children affected by the conflict. The message was delivered by Trump during talks with the Russian leader in Alaska.

Subsequently, Melania said that after receiving the letter, the Russian side established a communication channel with her to discuss humanitarian issues. According to her, the negotiations were conducted through representatives and included contacts with Russian officials.

On October 10, 2025, the First Lady of the United States announced the reunification of eight children with their families through contacts with the Russian side. She stated that she continues to work on the return of minors who have been separated from their families.

In mid-August 2026, the White House announced that since sending the letter to Putin, the first lady's efforts had helped reunite 34 children with their families.

Melania continued to interact with the Russian and Ukrainian sides on humanitarian issues. Her activities focused primarily on helping the civilian population, rather than directly negotiating a general cessation of hostilities.

Melania Trump's efforts to organize a truce in Alyoshki

On October 23, 2026, the White House announced that an agreement had been reached between Russia and Ukraine on a temporary cessation of hostilities in the city of Alyoshki, Kherson region. According to the US administration, the agreement was concluded with the assistance of Melania Trump.

The agreement provides for the creation of conditions for the delivery of humanitarian aid and the evacuation of civilians. According to the initial statement from the White House, the local truce is scheduled to take effect on October 29.

Melania Trump said that residents of the city are experiencing an acute shortage of food, medicine and clean water. In addition, the situation is complicated by damage to infrastructure, power outages and the danger of movement along mined roads.

According to the White House, the first lady and her representatives held consultations with the Russian and Ukrainian leadership. To organize the humanitarian operation, the parties used communication channels previously established when discussing the return of children to their families.

It is assumed that civilian representatives of both countries will jointly visit the residents of the city and determine what kind of assistance they need. It is planned to provide transport for people who want to leave Alyosha to evacuate in their chosen direction — to Russia or Ukraine.

In addition, according to Melania, representatives of an independent American media organization will monitor the humanitarian operation, which will document the work of Russian and Ukrainian specialists.

The Kremlin's reaction to Melania Trump's efforts

On October 23, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov positively assessed Melania Trump's participation in the preparation of the humanitarian operation in Alyoshki.

"We welcome the efforts of the First Lady of the United States, Mrs. Melania Trump, who has made a significant contribution to coordinating the humanitarian operation in the village of Alyoshki in the Kherson region," the Kremlin spokesman said.

According to Peskov, the coordinating role in the organization of the humanitarian mission belongs specifically to the first lady of the United States. At the same time, the Commissioner for Human Rights in Russia, Yana Lantratova, and her colleague from the Ukrainian side joined in the preparation of the operation.

The Kremlin representative clarified that the situation in Alyoshki had previously been discussed during a telephone conversation between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump. The parties agreed to maintain contacts through authorized representatives to resolve humanitarian issues.