Melania Trump Reflects on Meeting Donald and Balancing Independence with Public Life

In 1998, Melania Trump met Donald Trump at a fashion week party at the Kit Kat Club, organized by Paolo Zampolli, the founder of ID Models. Despite Donald arriving with another woman, he still attempted to get Melania’s phone number while his date was in the bathroom. Reflecting on that moment, Melania, who was not overly impressed by the real estate mogul-turned-celebrity, remarked, “I knew who he was but I didn’t know about his life, about what was going on. I had my life. I didn’t care about his. I wasn’t starstruck,” as reported by Dujour.

According to Dujour, Melania’s strong sense of independence has always been a defining trait. Even with the spotlight that came from her marriage to Donald Trump, she preferred to keep a low profile. “I have a life. I go out every day. I bring my son to school. I pick him up. I’m not an attention seeker. I’m not the one who calls paparazzi, ‘I have lunch with the girlfriends, and I’m going to this restaurant,’” she shared.

Melania acknowledged the challenges that come with being associated with a famous figure. “When you walk into a room, everybody knows the person. Sometimes people see you with that man and maybe they know more about the man, and they judge you or see you differently. You need to know who you are and you need to be very secure. You need to stand up for yourself. You need to have your own yes and no.”

Melania has always emphasized maintaining her own identity while supporting her husband. In a 2015 interview with ABC News, she affirmed, “We have great chemistry, and to be with a man like my husband, you need to know who you are. You need to have a very independent life and support him. You need to be very smart and quick, and be there for him when he needs you.”

When asked in another interview what Donald admires most about her, Melania confidently replied, “I’m my own person. I’m not a yes person. So I tell it as it is. I told my opinions, and I was always like that. So I think he likes that.” Her self-assuredness and independence are qualities she believes Donald values in her.

Before Donald announced his first presidential run, Melania knew the decision would drastically change their lives. She recalled a conversation they had before the announcement: “I said to him, ‘You really need to think because our family life will change. The three of us will change.’ I know what it takes—traveling and all that stuff. I told him if he really wanted to do that I would support him 100 percent.

But I would also be a mom first, I would be with our son, and I would be home. Our son needs parents, and I don’t want somebody else taking care of him. We made that decision.” Melania has always been clear that, while supporting Donald, she prioritizes her role as a mother. She viewed his run for the presidency as a “selfless decision” because of the toll it took on their family.