The 2016 election season was a whirlwind, and we are still feeling the aftershocks of the surprising results that have seemed to divide a nation. As political pundits poke and prod at the President-elect, it's also important to take a look at his wife Melania and get a better understanding of her life before she became Mrs. Trump.
While in the White House, First Lady Michelle Obama has started programs geared to healthy living and better eating habits for both children and adults. Many people are questioning what Melania's initiatives are going to be once she takes over that title because they are having a hard time seeing her as First Lady. This may be because of her racy modeling photos that have circulated, making her the first First Lady who has ever posed nude for a publication and while this may mark a new era for politics, it also brings to light a number of scandalous pictures that the Trump administration may not want you to see. But, who is Melania? Here's a look at her most shocking photos and an insight into her unconventional background.
15 The Third Mrs. Trump
Born Melania Knavs in Slovenia, Melania Trump is Donald's third wife. While he was still married, yet separated, from second wife Ivana, Donald and Melania began their romance. Melania moved to New York City in 1996 and two years later, while attending a party for Fashion Week, she was introduced to her future husband. Donald was actually there with another date, but that didn't stop him from trying to put the moves on Melania.
He reportedly asked the model for her phone number but she refused, instead saying that she would take his and give him a call. She says she isn't the type to get starstruck so meeting the Don wasn't that big of a deal, and that's probably why he was drawn to her.
Their relationship has had its ups and downs. They broke up briefly while they were dating but got back together after separating for a few months and it's been happily ever after ever since.
14 She Grew Up In Slovenia
In Slovenia, Melania's father, a member of the communist party, was a manager of a car dealership and her mother was a pattern-maker for a children's clothing manufacturer. She grew up modestly and has two siblings: a sister, and an older half-brother whom she has talked to but has never met. Her family comes from a Roman Catholic background but due to her father's Communistic views, they never went through any holy rituals such as baptism or communion.
Her family moved from an apartment to a two-story house when she was a teenager and while she was in high school she lived in an apartment of her own. She began modeling at 16 and signed with an agency at 18. It's reported that she attended the University of Ljubljana for one year before dropping out, but during the 2016 election campaign it was said that she graduated with a degree in architecture and design.
13 She And Donald Have One Son Together
Melania refers to her 10-year-old son Barron Trump as "Little Donald," as the boy loves to mimic and imitate his father. When she married Donald she inherited a large family of step-children as he has four children from previous marriages: Tiffany, Ivanka, Eric, and Donald Trump Jr. Melania isn't that far away in age from her step-kids and has said that she sees them more as friends than as her children.
Recently, Rosie O'Donnell, arch nemesis to Donald Trump, got into a heap of trouble after she suggested that the 10-year-old is autistic, supplying a video to support her claim in a tweet. After receiving immediate backlash, Rosie said that she wasn't insulting the young Trump but instead was trying to raise awareness about autism. Melania would deny those claims and hired an attorney, threatening to sue the creator of the video. She also called Rosie O'Donnell a "bully."
12 She's Not Controlled By Trump Like Some Think
People like to tease Melania because they see her as Donald's trophy wife who does whatever her husband says, but that's not the case according to the former model. She understands that because of Donald's popularity, even more so now that he's about to be president, he is required to travel quite often. However, she doesn't feel the need to always be by his side.
“Nobody controls me. I travel with my husband when I can, when I know that I can go, and I know that my son is okay alone for a few days with the help.”
Ah, yes, "the help." She once said that as a First Lady she would be more "traditional" like Jackie Kennedy. When asked what causes she would be involved in during her stay in the White House, she noted that she and her husband are already heavily involved in "many many charities" that involve both children and diseases. Separately.
11 She's Not A Party Girl
Some women married to multi-billionaires would take the opportunity to live the socialite lifestyle and party until dawn, but that's apparently not Melania's style. She might be wealthy, but the party atmosphere isn't for her. She says that she prefers to spend time at home with her family rather that rotate through the elite party scene, and that she has a more reserved personality than other wives of her monetary stature.
A friend noted that this is probably why she and Donald work so well, as he finds a deeper attraction to her because she isn't trying to paint the town red by spending an absorbent amount of money on frivolous things like other women in their social circle. She's much more frugal with her spending, and that's frugality by billionaire standards, so it probably doesn't include buying knock-off brands. It's probably like choosing between gold and platinum.
10 She Loves Being A Mother
While other mothers in Melania's social circle may have a gaggle of nannies at their disposal, Mrs. Trump claims to be a a hands-on mom. She does enjoy having her chef and assistant to help her with her day-to-day activities, but when it comes to her son, she puts motherhood first and doesn't expect Donald to pick up any extra slack.
"We know our roles," Melania said. "I didn’t want him to change the diapers or put Barron to bed."
With a son, one could say she has her hands full. However, Melania told Parenting that Barron is "a very strong-minded, very special, smart boy. He is independent and opinionated and knows exactly what he wants."
He may even follow in the footsteps of his father. "He loves to build something and tear it down and build something else," Melania said. "He is very detailed at drawing. We travel often and he remembers everything he sees. Sometimes later the same day or the next he would build something like he saw or imagine something himself."
9 Her Social Media Went Silent When Donald Announced He Was Running For President
If you were searching for a lavish life to envy, all you needed to do was visit Melania's Instagram and Twitter — that is, until Donald announced he was running for president. The future First Lady wasn't shy about snapping photos of herself donning expensive clothing and jewelry in her multi-million dollar home, sometimes being fawned over by her glam team of stylists.
This grandiose lifestyle may not have registered with voters so we're sure that an adviser told them to put the cap on the glitter and gold way of living. Nevertheless, once you're used to the finer things in life, it's hard to shake the desire for luxury. While on the campaign trail, Melania commented that “it was kind of a fun experience. We stayed in a hotel. It was clean. It was, I think, a Holiday Inn … It’s funny when we go and travel. They don’t have five-star hotels [in Iowa], but you go with it."
8 She Has Been Quiet About Her Political Beliefs
It'll be interesting once Melania becomes the official First Lady to find out what she'll have to say about her husband's policies considering that in the past she hasn't really commented on her political beliefs. She told GQ "I chose not to go into politics and policy. Those policies are my husband’s job. Nobody knows and nobody will ever know [her political beliefs] because that’s between me and my husband."
Melania will be the second immigrant in this country to hold the title of First Lady, the first being Louisa Adams in 1829 (she was from London). While Melania says she may not always agree with her husband, she does give him her opinion and respects the decisions that he makes.
“[Donald and I] are both very independent — I let him be who he is and he lets me be who I am. I don’t try to change him," Melania told CNN. "He’s an adult. He knows the consequences and so I let him be who he is. I give him my opinions, many, many times. I don’t agree with everything that he says, but you know, that is normal. I’m my own person, I tell him what I think, I’m standing very strong on the ground on my two feet and I’m my own person, and I think that’s very important in the relationship."
7 Donald Made Strange Remarks About Her Boobs
One would be hard-pressed to find quotes from former presidents that mentioned what they thought about their wives' breasts, but you don't have to look far to get one from Donald Trump. It's obvious that the President-elect is attracted to his wife's five foot eleven, 125 pound stature, and he mentioned how much so during an interview with shock jock Howard Stern.
The radio host asked Trump if Melania was in a terrible accident that left her paralyzed with terrible scars and horrific injuries, Donald responded by asking, “How do the breasts look? Because that’s important.”
We're assuming that there are other things that Donald loves about Melania, but at times he's the type of person to speak first and think later. Although many women would condemn him for his remarks, it still wasn't enough to keep him from being elected.
6 Her Childhood Friend Doesn't Think She's That "Clever"
For Melania's GQ feature in April 2016, her interviewer visited Mrs. Trump's native country of Slovenia and spoke with old friends of hers from her childhood. Some didn't want to be named, but that didn't stop them from giving their opinion on their former friend and not everything they had to say was covered in compliments.
When questioned about Melania's intelligence, one friend said that when it comes to things that Melania's interested in, she's smart, but overall, don't look for her to wow a crowd with her intellect.
“People say she’s smart, she’s well-educated like Jackie Kennedy, but…” the friend pauses. “She’s smart for the things she’s interested in, like jewelry. She’s not stupid, she’s not a bimbo, but she’s not especially clever.”
At least they didn't call her an idiot who didn't know how to hold a conversation. Since marrying Donald back in 2005, Melania has rubbed elbows with everyone from heads of state to billionaire moguls to the rich and famous. It takes some wit to entertain guests of such stature and she'll be doing much of that while being First Lady.
5 Friends In Slovenia Think She Thinks She's Too Good For Them
A few of Melania's former friends in Slovenia think that money and notoriety has made Melania forget where she came from, and they complained to GQ that she rarely, if ever, recognizes her roots. In Slovenia there are rumors that she refuses to speak her native language and that Donald only visited the country once briefly, just to have dinner. They expected her to make much more of an effort to stay connected to her family and friends, but the life of Mrs. Trump seems to be one that keeps her from that.
She hasn't necessarily kept her upbringing a secret and never seems embarrassed by it. “I love my childhood. It was a beautiful childhood.” Her parents have moved from Slovenia to New York and live close to Trump Tower where the Trump family call home. Barron speaks Slovenian fluently and enjoys talking to his grandparents in their native language. Like many people who transition from one stage of life to another, Melania has outgrown certain people in her life. Hey, we're sure you have a few friends you'd rather not hear from, either.
4 She's A Traditional Woman
She has nude photos that show off nearly every nook and cranny of her body, but when it comes to her views and how she navigates her marriage, her friends say she's a traditional woman. Vladimira Tomšič went to school with Melania and knows her parents, and the former friend explained that the way Melania was raised gives insight to her relationship with Donald.
“The secret of why he’s with her,” she said, “is her traditional values and the importance of family to her.” For an individual such as Donald, Melania is the perfect wife who is a homebody, is family-oriented, let's him be who he is, and doesn't necessarily clamor for the limelight. She doesn't overspend and doesn't steal her husband's spotlight, but is by his side to support him whenever he needs it. Her life now is a far cry from her modest upbringing in Slovenia, but her roots and values are embedded in her and are displayed in how she treats her marriage.
3 Donald Defended Her Nude Photos
Not everyone thinks that Donald and Melania are a match made in heaven. The 24-year age gap between the two gave some friends, old and new, pause when the couple began dating, and the gossip didn't settle when they tied the knot.
Melania's nude photos were called into question and when Donald was asked about his thoughts on photos of his wife's naked body being published for the world to see he said, "Melania was one of the most successful models and she did many photo shoots, including for covers and major magazines. This was a picture taken for a European magazine prior to my knowing Melania. In Europe, pictures like this are very fashionable and common.”
She's faced backlash from conservatives and liberals over her nude photos and on the campaign trail said that cyberbullying needs to be addressed more seriously, as she has felt the effects of people using social media and other online methods to degrade her and those she cares about.
“We need to teach our youth American values: Kindness, honesty, respect, compassion, charity, understanding, cooperation,” she said.
2 She Won't Be Living In The White House
Moving into the White House is coveted by those that want to gain political power, but Donald Trump has made it clear that the most famous home in the United States isn't where his family will call home. After he takes the presidential oath, Donald will move straight into the White House. However, there will be a delay for the rest of the family.
Melania and their son Barron will continue to live in their ridiculously opulent home in New York City as he finishes the year out at his private school on Manhattan's Upper West Side. In a strange twist, because the office Melania would occupy will be vacant, CNN reported that Donald's eldest daughter, Ivanka, would be taking over that space. There have been rumors that Ivanka will hold a position in Donald's presidential administration, a claim that has yet to be verified. A spokesperson for Trump called the news of Ivanka's move "false," but with Trump, one never knows what kind of moves he'll make until they're actually made.
1 She Claims To Not Have Had Cosmetic Surgery
A hot billionaire-wife model with a sculpted body who has never had cosmetic surgery? Do they exist? According to Melania, they do. She's faced a number of accusations that she's undergone all types of nips and tucks to preserve her youthful good looks, and she certainly has the bank account to pay for any procedure she wants.
Before you go making bets on Melania going under the knife, you should know that Mrs. Trump claims that she's never had cosmetic surgery. When asked if she's ever had breast augmentation or indulges in Botox treatments, Melania said, "I didn’t make any changes … I’m against Botox, I’m against injections; I think it’s damaging your face, damaging your nerves. It’s all me. I will age gracefully, as my mom does."
Some suggest her nude and bikini photos suggest otherwise, but whatever the case, Melania will be a First Lady unlike any other in American history.
Sources: nypost.com, usmagazine.com, biography.com, tmz.com, nydailynews.com
