Bethany Bryan - Melania Trump: Model and First Lady

Election night 2016 was a happy one for Melania Trump, who saw her husband win the presidential race.

I t was the evening of November 8, 2016, and although the event was technically a party, the mood at the event was mixed. For weeks, most news sources had been calling the presidential election in favor of former secretary of state Hillary Clinton over her rival, businessman and former reality television star Donald Trump. But as the election results rolled in, the mood at the Hilton Hotel in New York City slowly improved. At 10:53 p.m. EST, Trump took the key battleground state of Florida and its twenty-nine electoral votes, and as midnight approached, more and more states went in favor of the unlikely, widely criticized Republican nominee. What seemed like an impossibility just days before was suddenly looking probable. By around 2:30 a.m. on November 9, the electoral votes from Wisconsin were officially counted, and Donald Trump was officially declared the president-elect of the United States.

This win did more than skyrocket a businessman to the role of world leader. It would make Melania Trump, a former model and Donald Trumps third wife, the first foreign-born First Lady since Louisa Adams, wife ofJohn Quincy Adams, the sixth president. The media set to work, discussing her qualifications for the job and analyzing her election night outfit, a Ralph Lauren jumpsuit costing $4,000 that either intentionally or unintentionally mirrored a white pantsuit worn recently by Clinton during the third and final presidential debate. (The press could only speculate on the wardrobe choice.) Melania, who had stayed mostly out of the limelight, giving interviews on occasion and only weighing in on her husbands campaign via Twitter when she felt he was being unfairly criticized, was suddenly the focus of a lot more attention than ever before. Who was Melania Trump? Was she ready to be First Lady of the United States (or FLOTUS), following in the footsteps of the departing FLOTUS, Michelle Obamaa lawyer and Harvard graduate? Was it a role Melania Trump even wanted? Whether she was ready or not, Melania Trump had a brand-new joband a new lifeheaded her way.

Melanija Knavs was born on April 26, 1970, in Novo Mesto, Slovenia (which, at the time, was still part of the communist nation of Yugoslavia). She grew up in Sevnica, an industrial community on the bank of the Sava River. Many residents of Sevnica, including both of Melanijas parents, were employed by a state-run textile factory. Melanijas mother, Amalija, worked as a pattern maker, and Viktor, Melanijas father, worked as a driver for one of the factorys directors. (He later went on to sell cars and motorcycles.) Working at the factory was considered a good job. The family wasnt wealthy, but they werent poor. They lived in a modest apartment building right next to the primary school Melanija and her sister, Ines, attended.

Viktor was a member of the Communist Party, putting him in the minority among Slovenians at the timeonly 5 percent considered themselves communists. Aligning with the Communist Party was beneficial to the Knavs family. During shortages, when specific goods were being rationed, Viktor was able to get items that other people couldnt, like car parts and fuel.

Slovenia Today

Slovenia is a small country, only about 7,827 square miles (20,271 square kilometers), making it slightly smaller than the state of New Jersey. It has a population of almost two million people. Slovenia shares a border with Austria, Hungary, Croatia, and Italy. The port cities of Izola, Koper, and Piran on the Adriatic Sea open Slovenia up for trade with neighboring Italy and other European nations.

Melanija Knavs (second from right) began modeling in fashion shows staged by the factory where her mother worked.

Despite having been part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire for several centuries and then part of Yugoslavia for a good portion of the century that followed the empires dissolution, Slovenia has maintained a unique culture and language. In Slovenia, the primary language is Slovene. Family is important in Slovenia, and there is a strong importance placed on maintaining ones home and surroundings. Its because of this that parks and streets are well maintained, allowing tourism to thrive. Travelers to Slovenia are often entranced by the peaks of the Julian Alps and gr forest regions, which cover over 50 percent of Slovenia. Architecture and design are an important part of Slovenian culture. Castles dating back centuries are important destinations for many visitors.