The Stunning Evolution of Melania Trump Over the Years

Viktor Knavs and Amalija Knavs proudly welcomed their daughter Melania Trump, who was born Melanija Knavs, into the world in 1970. It was clear early on that she wasn’t destined for a small, quiet life in central Europe, though. Melania was just 5-years-old when she walked the catwalk for the first time and she took an early interest in fashion thanks to her mother. “My mom was in the fashion business,” Melania told Parenting. “My mom loved fashion, we loved to travel and go to Italy and Paris. It was something in me always,” she added. 

The youngster was determined to have her way right from the start, too, especially with how she presented herself (which explains why she would go on to become such a fashionable first lady). “I think you are born with style or you are not. Even with a stylish parent, I always knew what I liked or didn’t like,” Melania admitted. That determination served the youngster well when she faced criticism over her appearance. “I was always very tall and skinny. Sometimes I was teased, but I was never embarrassed,” she said.

Melania has had nothing but praise for her family and early life in Slovenia. “My sister Ines, who is an incredible woman and a friend, and I were raised by my wonderful parents,” she shared during the 2016 Republican National Convention. “My elegant and hard-working mother, Amalija, introduced me to fashion and beauty. My father, Viktor, instilled in me a passion for business and travel.”

When Melania Trump was just 16, she began her modeling career and juggled her passion with her education. The teen landed gigs in commercials and did photo shoots with the likes of Stane Jerko before studying design at the University of Ljubljana.

In 1992, when Melania was in her early 20s, she came in second place in the Slovenian Look of the Year modeling contest, which only spurred her passion to strive for bigger things in new pastures. She then dropped out of college to pursue her dreams, with a childhood friend telling GQ, “She was sure that there was nothing for her in Slovenia. She wanted to leave.” Melania moved to two of the world’s biggest fashion capitals, first living in Milan, Italy, before later calling Paris, France home.

Melania spoke openly about the exciting and transformative period during a 2016 rally speech in Pennsylvania for her husband Donald Trump. “I worked with people from all over the world [in Paris and Milan]. Fashion is a business of glamour, but it is also hard work. There are ups and downs, high highs, and ridicule, and rejection, too,” she recalled.

In Paris, Melania Trump met modeling agent Paolo Zampolli. Seeing her potential as a global supermodel, Zampolli was aware of Melania’s big dreams of moving to the U.S. and organized her relocation to the Big Apple. She opened up about the emotional decision to head to the States in her 2024 book, “Melania: A Memoir,” recalling, “I packed up my apartment in Paris, met with my agent in Milan, and said goodbye to my family in Slovenia. The distance between America and Europe felt immense and my family and I found these goodbyes particularly difficult … I carried their love with me as I stepped into the unknown.” But, when Melania touched down in New York, booking modeling gigs was more difficult than she thought. “She wasn’t working every day. She was going to castings every day and not succeeding every day,” her former roommate, Matthew Atanian, told GQ. “She said things were very different in Europe, that she had been more successful.”

Despite not initially booking as many gigs as she’d hoped, Melania did find work as a model. Associated Press reported she made $20,056 from modeling jobs in her first seven weeks in the U.S. (Melania’s supermodel stunner throwback photos prove why), even though the outlet claimed she wasn’t legally allowed to work during that time. Melania didn’t publicly addressed the allegations. 

In her 2016 campaign speech, she opened up about how relocating changed her life. “I loved my work, and as a young entrepreneur, I wanted to follow my dream to a place where freedom and opportunity were in abundance. So of course, I came here. Living and working in America was a true blessing.”

Two years after Melania Trump moved to the States, she met one of New York City’s most prolific businessmen; Donald Trump. They crossed paths at a party hosted by Paolo Zampolli, and Donald (who was still legally married to Marla Maples) attended with a date. But that didn’t stop him shooting his shot with the woman that would become his wife. “He wanted my number, but he was with a date, so of course I didn’t give it to him,” Melania recalled to Harper’s Bazaar. “I said, ‘I am not giving you my number; you give me yours, and I will call you.'” Despite the entrepreneur being hugely successful at the time, Melania didn’t really know who the future president was. “I didn’t know much about Donald Trump. I had my life, I had my world. I didn’t follow Donald Trump and what kind of life he had,” she told GQ. Melania waited a couple of days to call, but recalled in “Melania: A Memoir” of their first phone conversation, “The connection between us was palpable.”

But the 28-year-old and 52-year-old’s relationship wasn’t all smooth sailing. They split in 2000 after Melania supposedly saw one of Donald’s ex-girlfriends leaving his apartment. “[Melania] said, ‘Screw that, I don’t care about all his billions of dollars, I am breaking up,’ and she called [Donald’s former butler] at Mar-a-Lago to send all her clothes back,” author Ronald Kessler told People. Donald addressed their breakup to The New York Times at the time, saying, “Melania is an amazing woman, a terrific woman, a great woman and she will be missed.” But their split didn’t last long. According to Kessler, they reconciled a week later and he proposed in 2004.

Melania Trump got her famous last name in January 2005 when she and Donald Trump tied the knot in a no-expense-spared event at his Floridian Mar-A-Lago resort. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the pricey big day saw Melania wearing a Dior gown worth $100,000 and dining on a wedding cake that weighed 200 pounds.

But the Trumps, who have some major red flags in their relationship, weren’t about to splash the cash on an equally lavish honeymoon. “Why are we going to leave our gorgeous, beautiful house, called Mar-a-Lago, and venture out to some tropical island where things aren’t clean or whatever?” Donald said during a joint interview with Melania on “Larry King Live.” The newlyweds also shared their plans to expand their family, but “The Apprentice” star made it clear they would have specific roles when it came to childcare. “I’m not going to be doing the diapers. I’m not going to be making the food. I may never see the kids, frankly. No,” he said. “She will be an unbelievable mother. I’ll be good father, but I’ll be, you know, doing my deals.”

Melania had some practice at motherhood before welcoming her own biological children with Donald, as she grew close with his four kids from previous marriages, Ivanka Trump (who has a penchant for pricey outfits, like her stepmom), Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump, and Tiffany Trump. Though her role in their lives has been a little different to some step-parent relationships, seeing as the Trump children were older when Melania and Donald got together. “I’m their friend. I’m not their mom. I met them when they were teenagers,” Melania told People.

2006 was a big year for Melania Trump. She and Donald Trump didn’t wait too long after tying the knot to expand their family, welcoming their first and only child together, a son named Barron, that April. And Melania took her new role very seriously. “It’s unconditional love,” she told The Palm Beach Post two months after giving birth. “It’s just amazing. A great, great experience. I was very lucky. I had a beautiful pregnancy. Everyone is healthy and happy.”

As Barron got older, Melania began juggling life at home and her own career goals. She took a leaf out of her husband’s book and kickstarted her own business ventures. “When [Barron] is in school I do my meetings, my sketches, and everything else. I cook him breakfast. Bring him to school. Pick him up. Prepare his lunch. I spend the afternoon with him,” she told Parenting of her average day. She also admitted that although Donald and his youngest son spent time together, she was his primary caregiver while the businessman worked. “He is very busy … He didn’t change diapers and I am completely fine with that,” she said.

That same year, Melania experienced another huge milestone when she officially became an American citizen. The public figure spoke about her decade-long journey during her 2016 campaign speech, sharing, “It is the greatest privilege in the world. I’m an immigrant, and let me tell you, no one values the freedom and opportunity of America more than me, both as an independent woman, and as someone who immigrated to America.”

By 2010, Melania Trump was ready to step things up and make a name for herself outside of her relationship with Donald Trump, so she took on a new gig as a jewelry designer. She created her own collection for QVC and put her time studying design at college to good use. “I am the art director and designer. I sketch — I love to put the pen to paper and start a piece from scratch. I design the things I love. I studied design and architecture and that’s what I really like to do. It’s a passion of mine,” she told Parenting.

Three years later, Melania continued to build her empire when she launched her own skincare line, Melania Beauty. The products contained caviar, amongst other skincare ingredients, but the collection left he market suddenly due to issues with the line’s parent company.

Melania then got a fame bump in a way she probably wasn’t expecting in 2015 when Donald announced he was running for president of the United States. Despite her husband’s brash vocalness on policies, Melania made it clear she didn’t plan to become a political figure herself. “I’m choosing not to go political in public because that is my husband’s job. I’m very political in private life, and between me and my husband I know everything that is going on,” she told Harper’s Bazaar. “But I chose not to be on the campaign. I made that choice. I have my own mind. I am my own person.”

Melania Trump’s transformation saw one of its most dramatic chapters in 2017 when she officially became first lady of the United States. After Donald Trump defeated Hillary Clinton to become president, Melania moved her life to Washington, D.C. to support his political dreams. The former model was clearly excited for her new chapter, as she shared a photo of a White House window on X alongside the caption, “Looking forward to the memories we’ll make in our new home! #Movingday.” But she still had the best interests of her son at the forefront of her mind. Though Donald officially took office that January, Melania and Barron Trump waited six months to make the move from New York City so Barron could complete his school year.

Melania appeared to adapt well to White House life, telling ABC News the year after Donald’s inauguration, “I love Washington. I love to live there. And I made the White House home — for our son and my husband — and we love to live in the White House. We are very honored to serve our great nation.” The then first lady even moved her parents into the iconic building. “There have been times when Barron has been with his grandparents more than with Melania, and a lot more than with Donald,” a source told People.

Melania’s wardrobe underwent a revamp to reflect her new role, too. She had a penchant for sparkles and plunging numbers before calling the White House home, but began wearing more sophisticated garments in pastels and neutral shades. Though a few of Melania’s outfits were outdated, she quickly became one of the most fashion-forward first ladies in history and wore several outfits with jaw-dropping price tags.

After four years, the Trumps moved out of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in 2021 to make way for Joe and Jill Biden. Melania opened up to Fox News about her stint in Washington the following year, sharing, “I enjoyed living in the White House. To be first lady of the United States was my greatest honor. I think we achieved a lot in the four years of Trump administration. I enjoyed taking care of the White House. It was my home for a while … it was a privilege to live there.”

The Trumps left town and Melania settled into a much quieter life in Florida and New York than the one she’d experienced during her husband’s presidency. “From her point of view and her friends’ point of view, she’s been through a lot and she’s come out a strong independent woman,” publicist and acquaintance of Melania, R. Couri Hay, told The New York Times of her decision to step back from public life. “She’s learned how to close the door and close the shutters and remain private. We don’t see a lot, we don’t hear a lot,” Hay added.

A source told People Melania was happy to leave political life behind and was more focused on Barron Trump and his education than the next step in her husband’s career. “Melania does not like being in the public eye and has made it clear that she isn’t interested in doing it again,” they claimed. “She likes family and her private life. The media glare is not for her,” they added. But Donald Trump had other ideas.

After living a more under-the-radar life for four years, Melania Trump found herself thrust back into the spotlight when Donald Trump took on Kamala Harris and won a second, non-consecutive term as president. But the returning first lady made it clear that she didn’t plan on spending all her time in Washington, D.C. Speaking to Fox News, the former model shared plans to split her time between the Trump family’s three favorite locations. “I will be in the White House. When I need to be in New York, I will be in New York. When I need to be in Palm Beach, I will be in Palm Beach,” she said.

Sources also told People that Melania and Donald, who will go the distance according to astrology, weren’t exactly living in one another’s pockets. “She leads her own life and joins him when appropriate in either place,” they said, also noting, “She will never be a traditional first lady. That isn’t who she is.”

That makes sense, seeing as how the ever-independent Melania was working on her own projects away from her husband’s very public and controversial life. Variety confirmed in early 2025 she was executive producing a documentary series on her life with Prime Video, which would give insight into what it’s really like to be Melania. “My life is incredible. It’s incredibly busy,” she told Fox News of why she invited film crews into her world, explaining she had the idea following the success of her autobiography. With such a drastic transformation already behind her and plenty more evolving still to do, there’s certainly a lot for Melania to share on screen.