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 12 months, 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 Normal Hospital, to folks Viktor and Amalija Knavs, in line with public data.
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 residing in an residence 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 very good scholar and was at all times prepared to assist classmates who had 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, advised Fox Information Digital that the Knavs household had been nice and actively concerned locally.
“While I did not know the family personally, local narratives consistently portray the Knavs family warmly, highlighting their positive influence and presence in the community,” mentioned Ocvrik.
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The mayor shared that it could have been an “undoubtedly happy time for those who were young” rising up within the Seventies and ’80s, “as economic progress was evident.”
America’s first woman, Melania Trump, was raised within the city of Sevnica, Slovenia. (Ivan Vukovic for Fox Information Digital)
“We must consider that Slovenia and Sevnica are part of Central Europe, characterized by a quality of life that is inclusive and hardworking,” he went on.
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On the time that Melania Trump was rising up, the world was a part of the previous nation of Yugoslavia, which dissolved within the Nineteen Nineties, in line with the mayor.
“Slovenia, as the westernmost republic of Yugoslavia, was significantly more aligned with Western culture and standards compared to the southern republics,” he added.
The mayor of Sevnica, Srečko Ocvrik, proven right here, advised Fox Information Digital that the Knavs household was nice and actively concerned locally. (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 line with the White Home web site.
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She moved to New York in 1996 and have become a citizen of the US 10 years later, data 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 Pictures; Mitchell Gerber/Corbis/VCG through Getty Pictures)
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 Pictures)
In 2010, Melania Trump launched her personal jewellery assortment, Melania Trump Timepieces and Jewellery.
Final 12 months, she penned a memoir, “Melania,” a No. 1 New York Occasions bestseller.
Melania Trump is barely the second first woman to be born outdoors the U.S. (Reuters)
Barron Trump gestures as he’s acknowledged throughout an indoor inauguration parade at Capital One Area on Jan. 20, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (Christopher Furlong/Getty Pictures)
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 develop into a naturalized citizen.
Throughout her first tenure as first woman, she launched “BE BEST,” specializing in the largest points impacting kids in America.
First woman Melania Trump launched the “BE BEST” initiative in 2018, specializing in the largest points impacting kids in America. (Leon Neal/Getty Pictures)
The initiative has “the goal of encouraging children to BE BEST in their individual paths, while also teaching them the importance of social, emotional and physical health,” the mission assertion notes.
“BE BEST will concentrate on three main pillars: well-being, online safety and opioid abuse.”
Melania Trump is the one first woman to develop into a naturalized citizen. (Getty Pictures)
She additionally established Fostering the Future, a BE BEST initiative that gives school scholarships to youth in foster care.
She additionally raises funds by 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 line with the White Home web site.
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Most not too long ago, the primary woman celebrated the victory of the “Take it Down Act,” a invoice that safeguards kids from on-line threats reminiscent of deepfakes.
Karlo Pastrovic of Fox Information Digital contributed reporting.
