I’m all for the each-to-their-own mantra, but if I’m honest, it’s kind of hard not to judge anyone who’s willing to be
. He’s got a pretty bad track record when it comes to having respect for women and has developed something of a reputation for being a little bit slovenly. No matter what you think of him, you have to ask the question - would you want to be married to him?
Yet First Lady of the United States Melania Trump has managed to stand by his side for the last 20 years. A former model, when she walked into the White House for the first time her fans predicted that she would bring a touch of glamour, her critics that she was nothing more than a trophy wife - a term Donald has himself used to describe her. But unexpectedly, she’s become an internet sensation for a very different reason - namely because she’s the master of fake clapping, brutally eye-rolling and strutting away from her husband with "HELL NO" written all over her face. So, is there more to Melania Trump than meets the eye?
She was born in Communist Yugoslavia
Melania was born
Melanija Knavs
in 1970 in
Sevnica, Slovenia,
which was at that time part of Yugoslavia.Her parents, Amalija and Viktor Knavs, were by no means poor. Her father managed a car dealerships for a state-owned vehicle manufacturer and her mother for a children’s clothing company. However, it must have been a whole world away from the gilded luxury of Trump Tower or the high ceilings of the White House.
To be fair to the lady, she is pretty much living the American Dream, admittedly in some ways more than others.
She’s quite the linguist
While it would be easy to assume that Melania is just a pretty face, the truth is that she’s actually far more than that. A talented linguist, she speaks her native Slovenian, as well as English, French, German and Italian. In May 2017, she visited a children’s hospital in Italy where she reportedly chatted with sick kids in Italian without missing a beat. Her and Donald’s son, Barron, also apparently speaks English, French and fluent Slovenian, despite being just 11 years old.
She’s more active abroad than at home
Melania’s reserved style of First Lady-ship is in marked contrast to previous presidents’ wives - she rarely gives speeches or interviews, and relatively little is known about her living situation inside the White House (other than that they sleep in separate rooms, of course). But she tends to be much more active when journeying abroad, regularly taking to the podium herself to deliver speeches and being praised for her gracious nature.
She didn’t want Donald to win
Well, that’s according to Michael Wolff, who spent 18 months interviewing figures within the campaign team and administration, and claimed in his tell-all book Fire and Fury that: “Shortly after 8 p.m. on Election Night, when the unexpected trend — Trump might actually win — seemed confirmed [...] Melania was in tears — and not of joy.” It’s said that until this point, the whole plan of the election was to boost Trump’s public image and the plan had been that once the whole charade was over Melania “could return to inconspicuously lunching.” If this is true, then it kind of serves them right, really.
The Clintons went to her wedding
During the 2016 presidential camp, much was made of the dislike between Trump and the Clintons. But it wasn’t always the way. In actual fact, the Clintons and the Trumps were firm friends for many years, with the couple even attending Melania and Donald’s lavish 2005 wedding, which Mrs T even posted a cheeky #tbt throwback to when she was still actively using Instagram. Oh, and while we’re on the subject of the big day, let’s take a second to dwell on the fact that her dress cost her an insane $200,000.
She doesn’t have a nanny
Known for being fiercely protective of her son, Barron and Melania famously didn’t move into the White House straight away because she wanted him to see out the school year in Manhattan. She’s known for employing less staff than previous first ladies in her “East Wing” and said that she refused to hire a nanny after Barron’s birth because she felt that her child was her responsibility: "
I like to be hands-on. I think it's very important" she told People magazine in 2015, adding: “He needs somebody as a parent there, so I am with him all the time.”
But while Melania Trump clearly has another side to her - one that is smarter and more homely than you’d probably expect of anyone who can deal with The Don - she’s not without her critics. Ultimately, Melania has remained steadfastly silent over accusations of Donald Trump’s infidelity and apparent disrespect for women. In fact, she’s publicly praised him, stating that: “He’s kind. He has a great heart. He’s tough. He’s smart. He’s a great communicator.” She's also so far failed to deliver on her post-election promise to use her position to tackle cyber-bullying.
But with the eyes of the world upon her, in a job she didn’t exactly sign up and a child to protect, it’s hard not to have some sympathy for her. After all, she's going to come in for criticism for just about everything she does and doesn't do. Plus, she’s
tried
to stop him tweeting - and if that isn’t proof that she’s trying to do some good, then I don’t know what is.