Who Are Viktor and Amalija Knavs? Here’s All You Need to Know About Melania Trump’s Parents!
You surely observed how well-dressed Melania Trump is. Have you ever wondered from where her passion for fashion comes? Her parents worked in fashion in Slovenia. Her parents, Viktor and Amalja Knavs, come from a small city, situated an hour from the country’s capital city. In what has been known as Communist Yugoslavia, Viktor worked a lot of years as a chauffeur and Amalija was a patternmaker. Viktor was also a car salesman and he knew how to do business.
Melania married former President Donald Trump, and Viktor and Amalija permanently relocated to the United States. She gave birth to their son, Baron Trump, in 2006, and despite Trump’s position on immigration reform during his presidency, Viktor and Amalija successfully became U.S. citizens in 2018.
How did her parents shape Melania’s future?
Melania beautifully spoke about her parents in public, each time she had the chance. She has a huge respect for them and she is forever grateful that her mother introduced her to fashion and her father developed in her a passion for business and travel. Her hard-working parents had a challenging life and wasn’t easy at all for them to go through Communism and then, relocate so far away from home. These kinds of changes are not easy to manage and it seems like they did an amazing job and did everything to be by their daughter’s side.
What happened to Ines, Melania’s sister? Well, according to a book about the first lady’s life, Ines Knvas also silently became a permanent U.S. citizen, shortly after Donald Trump entered the White House.
In January 2024, Amalija Knvas passed away at the age of 78 and according to Associated Press, Melania said that she was a “ray of light in the darkest days”.
Let’s discover together Donald Trump’s in-laws: from their life in Slovenia to their days at the White House!
7 Facts About Viktor and Amalija Knavs:
1. They met in Slovenia, in 1960s
When they first met, Slovenia was still a part of Yugoslavia. The two met in 1966 and shortly after that, moved together in a small apartment. It was situated in Sevnica, Slovenia. Viktor was then a member of the communist party and worked as a chauffeur. The New York Times reported that he worked for the head of the government-owned textile factory, Jutranjka.
Amalija worked in the same factory from 1964 until 1997 when she retired.
2. They have two daughters together
The couple had two beautiful daughters. Ines was born in 1968 and Melania in 1970. They were raised in Ljublijana but often traveled for vacations in Germany, France, and Italy. The family moved from Sevnica to an expensive, trendy neighborhood in the capital. Ines and Melania attended design school in Ljublijana and the First Lady claimed multiple times that she had a great childhood in Slovenia and that sometimes she misses her beautiful country.
3. Amalija worked in fashion and Viktor was a salesman
According to The New York Times, Amalija first worked at her parent’s red onion farm, and in 1964 she earned a position as a patternmaker at a children’s clothing factory. She held her position for over three decades, until her retirement in 1997. In addition to her work, Amalija used to design and sew clothes for her and her kids. So, Melania fell in love with fashion because she saw how passionate her mother was.
According to a book by Betty Boyd Caroli, Amalija was always wearing beautiful clothes. She used to take care of her look and always opted for heels instead of flats. When her company needed models for their clothes, Amalija arranged for Melania to walk the runway.
Viktor worked as a chauffeur and then became a traveling salesman for a car company. Later, he opened his own bicycle and car parts shop in Ljubljana. Melania compared multiple times her husband to her father. She said that they are both hardworking businessmen. Even Trump spoke publicly about his father-in-law’s career, saying that he was really successful in Slovenia.
4. They were really close in age with their sun-in-law
You may already know that Trump is 24 years older than Melania. When you first hear it, it sounds a little bit strange, because we are used to a different kind of “normality”, but it seems that the two match perfectly and support each other, no matter what. In the end… age is just a number. Am I right? The interesting part is that Donald Trump and Melania’s Parents are very close in age so, they were basically part of the same generation.
Viktor was born on March 24, 1944, Amalija was born on July 9, 1945, and Donald Trump on June 14, 1946.
5. They lived in the White House
Once Donald Trump became the 45th President of The United States, his in-laws moved to the White House. They lived in the suite previously occupied by Barack Obama’s mother. They weren’t all the time at The White House and were always traveling from an apartment in Trump Tower in New York and Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club in Florida.
Even though they ended up having multiple residences in the United States, the couple was still visiting their home from Slovenia two or three times per year.
6. They became U.S. citizens in 2018
Viktor and Amalija officially received their citizenship in 2018. Their lawyer, Michael Wildes said publicly that they applied for citizenship once they were eligible and followed all the rules. Immigration law requires individuals to have their green cards for at least 5 years before they can apply for citizenship.
The funny part is that Trump pushed to eliminate during his presidency the legal process through which Viktor and Amelija received their citizenship. He wrote on X, formerly Twitter: “CHAIN MIGRATION cannot be allowed to be part of any legislation on Immigration!”
That’s not all! In January 2018, Trump tried to prioritize skilled immigrants and proposed ending most family-based immigration.
7. They were the best grandparents of Baron
Viktor and Amalija had a beautiful and strong bond with their grandson, Barron. Trump’s youngest child was raised to be bilingual. His grandparents were very proud that he could easily speak both Slovenian and English. A close source to the family told People that Barron used to spend a lot of time with Amalija and was particularly close to her. Barron grew up being more around his grandparents than his mother and father.
Amalija passed away in January 2024
Melania Trump was absent on New Year’s Eve because she was spending time with her mother who was very ill. According to Donald Trump, she was in hospital. Later, in January, the First Lady wrote on X and announced the death of her beloved mother, Amalija Knvas.
In her speech for her mother’s funeral, where Tiffany Trump, Ivanka Trump, and Jared Kushner were present, Melania said: “In her presence, the world seemed to shimmer with radiance and joy. Our bond was unbreakable.”
In the next days, following the funeral, Melania thanked her followers and supporters for all the kind words and wishes and she wrote on her Instagram that she will continue to cherish the beautiful memories of her beloved mother, and will forever keep her light in her heart.
Considering that Presidential Elections are approaching, are you interested in reading more Trump-related content? Check this out: Callin’ All Trump Fans: 5 Ways He Could Change Social Security in 2025.
