20 facts about Melania Trump that show she is unlike any other US first lady
Former model, who previously launched jewellery and skincare lines and speaks many languages, is more popular than her husband, polls show
Melania Trump, the wife of United States President Donald Trump, stepped into the limelight this month to launch her anti-cyberbullying initiative, “Be Best”.
Her campaign has been puzzling to some, given her husband’s affinity for insulting his opponents on Twitter, and others ridiculed her for releasing an educational booklet that was virtually identical to one the Obama administration published.
Despite the criticism, the first lady is generally well-liked by the American public and is far more popular than her husband, polls have found.
Although she is much more private than her predecessors – spending much of her time away from the spotlight – 57 per cent of Americans say they have a favourable impression of her, according to a CNN poll released last week.
Here are 20 facts about Trump that set her apart from other first ladies.
1. She is only the second US first lady in American history to be born outside the US – in Slovenia.
The only other foreign-born first lady was Louisa Catherine Johnson – the wife of John Quincy Adams, the sixth US president – who was born in England.
2. Trump is also the only first lady to have grown up in a Communist country, when Slovenia was part of Yugoslavia.
Although money was tight for many people in the small town of Sevnica, where she grew up, people who knew Melanija Knavs – as she was known then – say she was “always very fancy” and “never wore anything from the store”.