Melania Trump made a rare public appearance at the 2020 Republican National Convention, pleading for racial unity. The First Lady, often described as modern-day Jackie Kennedy, has largely steered clear of politics, focusing instead on a traditional role.
Born Melanija Knavs in Sevnica, Slovenia, she studied design and architecture in Ljubljana but dropped out during her first year. She began modelling at 18, appearing in high-profile campaigns. At a New York Fashion Week party in 1998, she met Donald Trump, refusing to give her number until he gave his.
The Trumps married in 2005 in a star-studded ceremony at his Florida estate. As First Lady, she has been compared to Betty Ford and Jackie Kennedy, but she is also the first to have posed nude for a magazine, a fact exploited during the 2016 presidential campaign by rival Ted Cruz's supporters.
Mrs Trump sued the Daily Mail over an article implying she had been a sex worker in the 1990s, winning damages and an apology. She has also faced accusations of slut-shaming. Regarding immigration, she defended following the rules, stating she never considered staying in the US without papers.
Initially remaining in New York after Trump's election, she moved to the White House in 2017 after her son Barron finished the school term. Her public appearances are rare, and she has said policy is her husband's job, not hers.
