(This story has been republished from The Quint's archive on the event of Melania Trump’s birthday. It was first published on 6 April 2016.)
With her businessman husband Donald Trump, who went on to become the 45th President of the United States of America (POTUS), Melania Trump, formerly Melania Knauss, was pushed firmly into the limelight but, perhaps, not for all the right reasons.
The model-turned-jewellery designer married Donald in January 2005.
Recently a super PAC ‘Make America Awesome’ put out an attack against her featuring a nude image of Melania from a 2000 GQ photoshoot. It hinted that if Trump was to win the elections, she would be the first lady of the US (FLOTUS) so voters should support Ted Cruz instead.
The slut-shaming ad was widely slammed as sexist. Many even pointed out that Melania shouldn’t become FLOTUS, not because of who she is but because of her husband and his, often controversial and bigoted, views.
Born on 26 April 1970, 49-year-old Melania Trump is 24 years younger than Donald Trump. Melania is Donald’s third wife and the couple has a son, Barron William Trump, who was born in March 2006. This is Melania’s first marriage.
She was born in Slovenia and obtained a degree in design and architecture from a university in her home country at the age of 18. At 16, she had already begun her modelling career.
(This story has been republished on the event of Melania Trump’s birthday.)
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