Amalija Knavs
Amalija Knavs | |
|---|---|
| Born | Amalija Ulčnik July 9, 1945 |
| Died | January 9, 2024 (aged 78) Miami, Florida, U.S. |
| Citizenship |
|
| Spouse |
Viktor Knavs (m. 1966) |
| Children | 2, including Melania Trump |
Amalija Knavs (née Ulčnik; July 9, 1945 – January 9, 2024) was a Slovenian-American woman who was the mother of Melania Trump, who is the wife of former US president Donald Trump and was the First Lady of the United States from 2017 to 2021.[1][2]
Knavs and her husband, Viktor, became citizens of the United States in 2018 using a method sometimes called chain migration.[3][4]
Early life[edit]
Amalija Ulčnik was born on July 9, 1945, in Judendorf-Straßengel, Austria. She was raised there and in Slovenia in Yugoslavia. Her mother, Amalija (Gliha) Ulčnik, was a seamstress and homemaker and her father, Anton Ulčnik, was a cobbler and later on a red-onion farmer.[1]
In her youth she worked on her family's onion farm. From 1964 to 1997, she worked at a state-owned children's clothing factory where she created and monitored textile patterns.[1]
Knavs met her husband, Viktor, in 1966. After marrying, they lived in Sevnica, Slovenia.[5] The couple had two daughters: Ines (born 1968) and Melania (born 1970).[5]
Later life and death[edit]
By August 2017, Amalija and her husband were living in New York City.[6] It was later confirmed that Melania sponsored their green cards.[7] In May 2018, Amalija was in attendance for the White House Rose Garden ceremony which saw Melania launch her Be Best public awareness campaign.[8] In August 2018, Amalija and Viktor Knavs became U.S. citizens after taking an oath at a New York City courthouse.[7] The New York Times described her as not adhering in public to the "stereotypes of an American grandmother".[9]
On January 9, 2024, Knavs died at a hospital in Miami, Florida, at the age of 78.[10] She had been "very ill" since late 2023, with sources confirming to People that Melania skipped a Mar-a-Lago New Year's Eve party to attend to her bedside.[11]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c Sandomir, Richard (January 9, 2024). "Amalija Knavs, Mother of Former First Lady Melania Trump, Dies at 78". The New York Times. Archived from the original on January 10, 2024. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
- ^ Richards, Zoë (January 10, 2024). "Melania Trump's mother, Amalija Knavs, dies at 78". NBC News. Archived from the original on January 10, 2024. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
- ^ Correal, Annie; Cochrane, Emily (August 9, 2018). "Melania Trump's Parents Become U.S. Citizens, Using 'Chain Migration' Trump Hates". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 24, 2022. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
- ^ Cochrane, Emily (February 21, 2018). "Questions Swirl as Melania Trump's Parents Obtain Green Cards". The New York Times. Washington. Archived from the original on January 10, 2024. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
- ^ a b Dangremond, Sam (August 25, 2020). "Everything to Know About Melania Trump's Parents, Viktor And Amalija Knavs". Town & Country. Archived from the original on January 10, 2024. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
- ^ Superville, Darlene (August 28, 2017). "First lady appears to borrow from Michelle Obama's playbook". Associated Press. Archived from the original on January 10, 2024. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
- ^ a b Sisak, Michael R. (August 9, 2018). "Meet the newest US citizens: Melania Trump's parents". Associated Press. Archived from the original on January 10, 2024. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
- ^ Superville, Darlene (May 7, 2018). "Melania Trump debuts 'Be Best' campaign for kids' well-being". Associated Press. Archived from the original on January 10, 2024. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
- ^ Garelick, Rhonda (January 11, 2024). "The Inscrutable Glamour of Melania Trump's Mother". The New York Times. Archived from the original on January 12, 2024. Retrieved January 12, 2024.
- ^ "Former first lady Melania Trump's mother, Amalija Knavs, has died". Associated Press. January 10, 2024. Archived from the original on January 10, 2024. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
- ^ Chamlee, Virginia (January 10, 2024). "Melania Trump's Mother, Amalija Knavs, Dead at 78". People. Archived from the original on January 10, 2024. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
