Former First Lady Melania Trump announced the passing of her mother, Amalija Knavs, extolling her as a “strong woman who always carried herself with grace, warmth, and dignity.” Melania Trump expressed profound grief, stating that Knavs was wholly devoted to her family, and the void left by her passing would be immeasurable.
Former President Donald Trump, Knavs’s son-in-law, shared news of her ailing health during a New Year’s Eve celebration at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida. He disclosed that Melania Trump was faithfully by her side in a Miami hospital, emphasizing the difficulty the family faced during this trying time.
In a separate post on his platform, Truth Social, Donald Trump commemorated Amalija Knavs, characterizing her departure as a “very sad night for the entire Trump family.” He lauded her as an incredible woman and expressed that her absence would be deeply felt.
Amalija Knavs and her husband, Victor, achieved U.S. citizenship in 2018 through family-based immigration, a process previously criticized by Donald Trump as “chain migration.” Trump, who sponsored their citizenship, acknowledged their time spent in Washington D.C. while Melania resided in the White House with their son Barron.
The couple’s path to citizenship sparked controversy, with Donald Trump’s past criticism of the process. Their lawyer clarified that they applied for citizenship independently, receiving no special treatment. Amalija Knavs and Victor Knavs, originally from Slovenia, raised Melania in the industrial town of Sevnica under Communist rule. Melania, born Melanija, later pursued education in Ljubljana, adopting the name Melania Knauss during her modeling career.
