Melania has always kept her Slovenian heritage close. When Barron was young, he even spoke with a Slovenian accent, and her parents left their home country to be closer to their daughter and grandchild. Sadly, last year, Melania lost her mother, but her father continues to lend support.

Although Melania has lived in the US for decades, she takes care to keep her heritage — and native language — alive. When she and Donald visited victims of the devastating LA wildfires, the First Lady was heard comforting a woman in her native language. Now, she’s being praised online.

Melania Trump’s journey to becoming First Lady of the United States for the second time is really quite astonishing. Born Melania Knauss on April 26, 1970, in Novo Mesto, Slovenia, she grew up in the small railway town of Sevnica.

Her father, Viktor, was a car mechanic and chauffeur, and her mother, Amalija, worked as a pattern-maker at a clothing factory. Amalija had a great passion for design and reportedly spent untold hours making clothes for Melania and her older sister, Ines.

“I grew up with a beautiful family and had a wonderful childhood,” Melania has previously said. “My mother and father taught us the importance of education, hard work and family.”

Melania grew up in a modest home, but her parents were a big deal in the small town of Sevnica. She studied at a special high school for industrial design and photography, but at 16, her life would change… and purely down to coincidence. While leaving a fashion show at the Festival Hall, fashion photographer Stane Jerko noticed Melania leaning on a fence.

Melania Trump – Slovenian heritage
In 1987, photographers didn’t really have the opportunity to find new faces for their work through the Internet. Instead, they sometimes chanced upon someone in real life.

“By the staircase at the entrance, I saw this girl,’ Jerko recalled. “She was tall, slim, with long hair. I told her who I was, what I did, and why I would photograph her.”

At that point, Melania wanted to study to become an architect. But this was a big opportunity. Jerko, meanwhile, thought the girl had something special.

“She was shy and reserved at first,” he explained. “Not wanting to open herself up.” But she quickly got into it and asked, ‘Why are you constantly moving the light? Is this how I should be holding myself?’”

Melania attended the university in Ljubljana before pursuing her dream job as a model. In 1996, she left for New York City. There, she lived in a shared apartment at Gramercy Park, but given that she was 26 years old – much older than the average aspiring model at the time – it was a gamble that she’d put everything on the line for.

Two years later – after her modeling career had taken off – she met Donald Trump, and her life once again changed forever. When Donald became the President of the United States – and Melania First Lady – Amalija and Viktor were seen several times at the White House, including during their daughter’s RNC speech in the White House Rose Garden. In her speech, Melania thanked her parents for their sacrifice.

Melania Trump’s son Barron spoke in Slovenian accent
“My parents worked very hard to ensure our family could not only live and prosper in America but also contribute to a nation that allows for people to arrive with a dream and make it a reality,” she said.

“I want to take the moment to thank my mother and father for all that they have done for our family. It is because of you that I am standing here today.”

Meanwhile, Viktor and Amalija had the pleasure of becoming grandparents. According to Politico, Donald and Melania’s son, Barron Trump, spent a significant amount of time with his grandma and grandpa growing up, and as a result he speaks Slovenian.

When he was young, Barron even spoke with a Slovenian accent. Videos of him as a toddler resurfaced after his father’s 2024 Presidential Election win. Entertainment Tonight shared a video of Barron speaking with his mother in 2009 when he was about to turn three. He was heard saying, “I like to play drums,” his mother added, “He loves to play drums, so maybe for his birthday, you will get the present?”

Another clip of a young Barron speaking with an accent resurfaced from the 2010 Larry King interview his parents did. The young boy appeared in his father’s office, saying, “I like my suitcase:”

Melania has always put Barron first, as have her parents. According to Politico, Barron’s maternal grandparents have been “hyper-involved” in his life, and in 2017, the news outlet reported that Viktor and Amalija would “become more familiar figures around the White House.”

Described her mother as a “second mother” to Barron
The New York Times reported that Melania’s parents “split their time among an apartment in Trump Tower, Mr. Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club in Florida and the suite in the White House once used by Mrs. Obama’s mother.”

While Viktor and Amalija have been very supportive, caring, and present in Melania’s and Barron’s lives, on January 9, 2024, Melania shared the devastating news that Amalija had passed away at the age of 78.

Melania wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, “Amalija Knavs was a strong woman who always carried herself with grace, warmth, and dignity. She was entirely devoted to her husband, daughters, grandson, and son-in-law. We will miss her beyond measure and continue to honor and love her legacy.”

In a September sit-down with Fox News, Melania discussed her mother’s death, revealing that Amailja and Barron had a very close relationship. She said her mother moved to the United States to be close to Barron.

“Her life was incredible in Slovenia,” Melania said. “Once Barron was born, he was her focus. It’s almost like she was a second mother, especially because of my schedule in the White House and being so busy. They had an incredible bond. Her and Barron, it was [a] relationship like no other,” Melania concluded during the segment.

Melania Trump praised for speaking in her native language to wildfire victim
While Melania has become a true American, she has not let go of her Slovenian heritage. Only this past week did she revert to her mother tongue.

Donald and Melania Trump traveled to Los Angeles, where they met with Governor Gavin Newsom to discuss how to rebuild the many areas destroyed in the tragic wildfires a few weeks ago. On X, one user posted a touching 30-second clip in which Melania comforted victims of the wildfire. She did so by speaking with the woman in Slovenian.

Social media users are now praising the First Lady for her caring behavior and for speaking in her native language.

“Seeing Melania so much more involved this time around is amazing,” one user wrote, per the Daily Mail.

Another added: “When we speak to people in their native tongue they feel heard, they feel listened to, they feel the love! What an incredible First Lady.”

A third stated: “First Lady Melania Trump speaks her native language to comfort those devastated by the wildfires. Even in a ballcap Melania shows her beauty and grace.”

While Melania has had many successful meetings while on first lady duty in the past, not all of them have gone exactly to plan. For example, during she and Donald’s first term at the White House, she came under heavy fire after wearing a jacket with the text “’I REALLY DON’T CARE, DO U?’ migrant housing facility in Texas.

Melania Trump’s infamous jacket incident
In her book I’ll Take Your Questions Now, Stephanie Grisham, who previously worked at Melania’s office, wrote that she didn’t notice the message on Melania’s jacket. At the time, Trump and his administration were under heavy criticism because of their policy of separating migrant children from their family members.

Melania’s visit was seen as a good opportunity for the administration to improve its image on the issue. In the end, they actually abandoned the program. When Melania came back from Texas, the President was furious. Donald was said to have summoned his wife to the Oval Office and yelled at her over her wearing of the tasteless jacket.

“He yelled and asked “what the [expletive]” they thought they were doing,” Grisham wrote in her memoir, as reported by The Washington Post.

Melania later spoke about the jacket in an interview with CNN.

“It’s obvious I didn’t wear the jacket for the children,” she said. “I wore the jacket to go on the plane and off the plane. And it was for the people and for the left-wing media who are criticizing me.”

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