From a young girl in Slovenia to an international model, Melania Trump has forged her own path with determination, her elegance and charisma propelling her into the global spotlight. As the wife of the billionaire Donald Trump, her role as First Lady of the United States has even earned her a documentary chronicling her daily life in the political spotlight. The sprawling Epstein scandal, which has tarnished her husband’s presidency, has broken her silence.
On April 9, at the White House, the First Lady of the United States responded to the U.S. Department of Justice’s release, three months earlier, of over 3 million pages from the Epstein case—a sexual predator who “committed suicide” in prison in 2019—in which her husband and current 47th President of the United States is mentioned several thousand times. In the form of a denial, the usually discreet First Lady addressed the accusations against her on camera: “I was never friends with Epstein. Donald and I were invited to certain parties where Epstein was present, from time to time.”
These statements contrast with the relationship Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein maintained in the 1990s, when they moved in the same business circles in Florida. But while the U.S. president urges the public to move past the Epstein case, his wife calls on the justice system to listen only to the sworn testimony of the pedophile’s victims. A tactic, according to some, designed to shift the burden of proof onto the victims—and thus one that is unlikely to reflect well on the First Lady’s image.
Especially since the documentary *Melania, released in theaters in early 2026 and streaming on Amazon Prime Video since early March, has not had the desired effect.
Presented as an unprecedented look into the daily life of the First Lady of the United States during the 20 days leading up to the 2025 presidential inauguration, the film follows Melania Trump during her private meetings, the logistical preparations for the inauguration, her moments of relaxation with her family, and her fashion choices, offering a highly curated view of her life.
However, the documentary gives a certain idea of Melania Trump and the codes associated with her: discreet, in control and with modest emotions. An image that she built perhaps by ego, maybe by protection, testimony of a life under the spotlight.
Modeling, a guarantee of a better life
Born Melanija Knavs on 26 April 1970 in Novo Mesto, Slovenia, Melania grew up in a modest family. Her father, Viktor, sells cars, and her mother, Amalija, works as a pattern maker in a children’s clothing factory, encouraging little Melania to develop her taste for fashion and aesthetics. As a child, she already participates in local photo sessions and beauty contests, hinting at a future under the spotlight.
As a teenager in Sevnica, then in Ljubljana, Melania studies design and photography. Quickly, she understands that her ambitions go beyond the academic framework and chooses to embark on modeling. At only 16 years old, she starts working for local agencies and, at 18, she leaves to Milan, before continuing her career in Paris. She then goes on with shows and shootings for magazines, touching a universe made of glitter, far from her classic Slovak childhood.
In 1996, she settled in New York. Her slender appearance and sculptural face appeal to photographers and magazines: she poses for Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, GQ and notably covers the swimsuit edition of Sports Illustrated.
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Featured photo : DR
