Before Melania Trump took on the coveted title of FLOTUS and before she was an emerging Slovenian model working in the United States, she was a young girl with ambitions living in Sevnica with her family. Raised by her parents, Amalija and Viktor Knavs, alongside her sister, Ines Knavs, her life was drastically different from how it is today. She grew up in a small industrial town, and despite coming a long way since then, she remains very close to her Slovenian roots and her parents.
Melania is extremely private about her personal life, but her husband Donald has a very loud and public persona that shines a spotlight on them, whether she likes it or not. Because the focus is usually on Donald Trump, former First Lady Melania’s relationship with her parents is often kept in the shadows and not focused on by the media.
But when Melania noticeably didn’t attend several holiday celebrations with the rest of the Trump family as 2023 came to a close, this topic became more prevalent in the minds of the public and the media.
After Page Six reported that Melania was absent from the Trumps’ usual opulent Christmas card, the Daily Mail announced that the ex-model wasn’t present at her hubby’s famous New Year’s Eve party in Mar-a-Lago. The reason for skipping out on the celebrations was due to her being a devoted daughter to her sick mother, Amalija.
Melania Trump puts relationship with mother Amalija first
Everybody took notice when Donald Trump Jr.’s fiancée, Kimberly Guilfoyle, put up the family’s annual Christmas photo at the end of 2023. Standing in front of a behemoth of a Christmas tree, Melania was absent from the photo, although her son Barron was included.
A source spoke out about Melania’s relationship with her mother, commenting, “Melania has always been very devoted to her entire family. It should be no surprise that she spent this Christmas with her ailing mother.”
Trump took the opportunity to speak out about the situation at his New Year’s Eve party, stating that Melania and Amalija were at a Miami hospital nearby. He added that his mother-in-law’s health issues were an ongoing challenge for the entire Trump family.
Melania has always praised her parents. At the 2020 Republican National Convention, she thanked them in a speech, speaking highly of their strong work ethic and how determined they were to allow their daughters to move to the US. At the end of her tribute, she said, “It is because of you that I am standing here today.”
Melania Trump’s mother had a strong influence on her career and parenting style
When Melania was only a child living in Communist-era Yugoslavia in the late 1970s, she dipped her toe into fashion and modeling due to her mother’s job at a children’s clothing manufacturer. Amalija Knavs worked at the Jutranjka factory and made patterns for clothing. As a result, Melania and her sister Ines could participate in a fashion show held once a year, where they and other children got to model the company’s fashion designs that year.
This opportunity planted ambition within Melania to become a fashion model. In 2018, Melania played a major role in earning her parents U.S. citizenship when she sponsored their green cards. They lived with the Trumps in the Trump Tower before the couple moved to the White House with their son.
Even then, the Knavses frequently spent time in Washington, D.C during his term, and often visit the business mogul’s Mar-a-Lago estate along with Trump National Golf Club in New Jersey.
The family maintains their Slovenian heritage by speaking their native language with Melania’s son, Barron, and cooking Slovenian food. Amalija often cooks meals from her homeland for Barron, continuing cultural traditions. Melania’s relationship with her mother proves that even though they’re a long way from those days in Sevnica, they’ve kept their bond a priority throughout the years and are still extremely close.