Melania Trump is celebrating her birthday on April 26 as she’s been resuming her White Home duties for the second time.
To commemorate the primary woman’s fifty fifth yr, Fox Information Digital takes a glance again at her path from rising up in Slovenia to getting into her position within the White Home.
The early days
Trump was born on April 26, 1970, in Novo Mesto, Slovenia, at Splošna bolnišnica Novo mesto Basic Hospital, to folks Viktor and Amalija Knavs, in response to public information.
The primary woman was christened on the Church of St. Lawrence in Novo Mesto, the place she was given her identify, Melania.
She reportedly spent the primary few years of her life dwelling in an condominium in Sevnica.
Her household then relocated to a house in the identical city.
The Knavs household attended companies on the Church of St. Nicholas in Sevnica.
Melania Trump attended the Church of St. Nicholas along with her household in Sevnica. (Ivan Vukovic for Fox Information Digital)
Fox Information Digital additionally spoke with the primary woman’s fifth-grade instructor, Milena Krajnc.
Krajnc shared that Trump was a great pupil and was all the time keen to assist classmates who have been falling behind.
Milena Krajnc, pictured right here in Sevnica, Slovenia, on March 20, 2025, was first woman Melania Trump’s fifth-grade instructor at Sava Kladnika Elementary Faculty. (Ivan Vukovic for Fox Information Digital)
Hometown ties
Srečko Ocvrik, the mayor of Sevnica, informed Fox Information Digital that the Knavs household have been nice and actively concerned in the neighborhood.
“Whereas I didn’t know the household personally, native narratives persistently painting the Knavs household warmly, highlighting their optimistic affect and presence in the neighborhood,” mentioned Ocvrik.
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The mayor shared that it could have been an “undoubtedly comfortable time for individuals who have been younger” rising up within the Seventies and ’80s, “as financial progress was evident.”
America’s first woman, Melania Trump, was raised within the city of Sevnica, Slovenia. (Ivan Vukovic for Fox Information Digital)
“We should take into account that Slovenia and Sevnica are a part of Central Europe, characterised by a high quality of life that’s inclusive and hardworking,” he went on.
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On the time that Melania Trump was rising up, the realm was a part of the previous nation of Yugoslavia, which dissolved within the Nineteen Nineties, in response to the mayor.
“Slovenia, because the westernmost republic of Yugoslavia, was considerably extra aligned with Western tradition and requirements in comparison with the southern republics,” he added.
The mayor of Sevnica, Srečko Ocvrik, proven right here, informed Fox Information Digital that the Knavs household was nice and actively concerned in the neighborhood. (Ivan Vukovic for Fox Information Digital)
A neighborhood bakery in Sevnica, Okusne Dobrote, created apple pies named in honor of Melania Trump to mark her birthday.
Profession and household
At age 16, the primary woman started a profitable modeling profession, marked by many high-profile promoting campaigns and numerous philanthropic works, in response to the White Home web site.
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She moved to New York in 1996 and have become a citizen of america 10 years later, information present.
Melania Trump started a profitable modeling profession at age 16, marked by many high-profile advert campaigns and numerous philanthropic works. (Scott Gries/Getty Photos; Mitchell Gerber/Corbis/VCG through Getty Photos)
She married President Donald Trump on Jan. 22, 2005, at The Church of Bethesda-by-the-Sea in Palm Seashore, Florida, adopted by a reception at Mar-a-Lago.
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On March 20, 2006, the couple welcomed their son, Barron William Trump.
On March 20, 2006, the couple welcomed their son, Barron William Trump. (Jean Baptiste Lacroix/WireImage)
A younger Barron Trump and mother Melania Trump. (Bryan Bedder/Getty Photos)
In 2010, Melania Trump launched her personal jewellery assortment, Melania Trump Timepieces and Jewellery.
Final yr, she penned a memoir, “Melania,” a No. 1 New York Occasions bestseller.
Melania Trump is simply the second first woman to be born outdoors the U.S. (Reuters)
Barron Trump gestures as he is acknowledged throughout an indoor inauguration parade at Capital One Area on Jan. 20, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (Christopher Furlong/Getty Photos)
Politics and philanthropy
Melania Trump is the second first woman to be born outdoors the U.S. — the primary was Louisa Catherine Johnson Adams from London, spouse of John Quincy Adams.
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So far, Melania Trump the one first woman to change into a naturalized citizen.
Throughout her first tenure as first woman, she launched “BE BEST,” specializing in the largest points impacting youngsters in America.
First woman Melania Trump launched the “BE BEST” initiative in 2018, specializing in the largest points impacting youngsters in America. (Leon Neal/Getty Photos)
The initiative has “the objective of encouraging youngsters to BE BEST of their particular person paths, whereas additionally educating them the significance of social, emotional and bodily well being,” the mission assertion notes.
“BE BEST will consider three major pillars: well-being, on-line security and opioid abuse.”
Melania Trump is the one first woman to change into a naturalized citizen. (Getty Photos)
She additionally established Fostering the Future, a BE BEST initiative that gives faculty scholarships to youth in foster care.
She additionally raises funds via her platforms on melaniatrump.com and usamemorabilia.com, utilizing blockchain expertise to generate income for scholarships.
First woman Melania Trump speaks on Capitol Hill to advocate for the passage of the Take it Down Act on March 3, 2025. (Fox Information )
Melania Trump has held a number of philanthropic roles, serving as chairwoman of the American Coronary heart Affiliation, honorary chairwoman of the Boys’ Membership of New York, and honorary chairwoman of the Martha Graham Dance Firm, amongst many others, in response to the White Home web site.
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Most just lately, the primary woman celebrated the victory of the “Take it Down Act,” a invoice that safeguards youngsters from on-line threats similar to deepfakes.
Karlo Pastrovic of Fox Information Digital contributed reporting.