Melania Trump Wants to Be Best
2020-09-11
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1Melania Trump is married to Donald J. Trump, the 45th president of the United States.
2The former fashion model is Trump's third wife.
3His first two marriages ended in divorce.
4Melania Trump is also mother to Barron Trump, the youngest of Donald Trump's five children.
5In her position as U.S. First Lady, she launched BE BEST, a campaign focused around the well-being of children.
6Part of BE BEST is aimed at the opioid drug crisis and how to protect youngsters from drug abuse.
7Melania Trump is only the second first lady born outside the United States.
8She was born Melanija Knavs on April 26, 1970 in a small town in Slovenia, which was then part of Yugoslavia.
9Her mother was a pattern maker for children's clothing.
10Her father sold automobiles and was a member of the Communist Party.
11The future Melania Trump grew up with a sister.
12Later in life, she found out she also had a half-brother.
13He belonged to her father from an earlier relationship.
14As a young woman, she reportedly had dreamt of leaving behind small-town life in Slovenia.
15Modeling would offer that chance.
16Melanija Knavs began working as a fashion model at the age of 16.
17She would attend college in Slovenia but left school after one year.
18The future first lady worked in Milan and Paris under the name Melania Knauss, the German pronunciation of her name.
19In 1996, she moved to New York City.
20There, she modeled for several advertising campaigns and publications, including for Max, a French magazine, and the British version of GQ.
21She met Donald Trump at a fashion industry party in 1998.
22Seven years later, in 2005, the two were married in Palm Beach, Florida.
23A year later, she gave birth to a son, Barron.
24She also became a naturalized U.S. citizen.
25In 2010, Melania Trump served as the Chairwoman for the American Heart Association.
26She helped the group raise $1.7 million for research.
27The same year, she launched her own jewelry collection.
28During Donald Trump's first presidential campaign in 2016, reporters and other Americans began asking questions about Melania's private life.
29That is when nude magazine pictures of her from Max and GQ resurfaced.
30As her husband pressed for controversial immigration reforms, critics also questioned her legal right to work as a model when she arrived in New York City.
31Melania Trump also made news during the 2016 Republican National Convention.
32Parts of the speech she gave were found to be very similar to parts of Michelle Obama's 2008 speech at the Democratic National Convention.
33Not long after, Trump's speech writer claimed responsibility for the mistake.
34As First Lady, Trump has made many visits to schools, both in the United States and overseas.
35A little over a year after her husband took office, the First Lady launched her BE BEST campaign.
36It had three aims: to support the social and emotional well-being of children; protect children from effects of the opioid crisis; and fight bullying of children, especially on social media.
37Parts of the campaign have been well-received.
38For example, Melania Trump has visited children's hospitals for a firsthand look at the effects of opioid abuse on babies.
39She also has taken part in opioid conferences and continues to speak on opioid abuse and how to better protect children from it.
40The first lady's critics pointed out the contradiction between her mission to protect children and the Trump administration's immigration policies.
41They said the administration separated thousands of immigrant children from their parents and placed them all in crowded, unclean detention centers with little food.
42In a statement in summer 2018, she said she hated to see children separated from their families and hoped Republicans and Democrats would come together on immigration reforms.
43A few days later, she made an unplanned visit to a Texas detention center for immigrant children.
44But the visit made news for a different reason: She wore clothing with writing on it that said, "I REALLY DON'T CARE, DO YOU?" on the way to and from Texas.
45In her speech at the 2020 Republican National Convention, Melania Trump expressed that she did care about some things.
46The First Lady spoke with kindness about the nation's struggles with racial issues.
47She talked about "the beautiful side of humanity" she has observed following natural disasters around the country.
48She expressed sympathy for families affected by COVID-19, an "invisible enemy" she said that has tested the United States but brought its citizens together.
49And she said, "Total honesty is what we as citizens deserve from our president."
50I'm Alice Bryant.
1Editor's Note: Today's profile is of first lady Melania Trump. Check in tomorrow for a profile of Dr. Jill Biden, the wife of Democratic Party presidential nominee Joe Biden. 2Melania Trump is married to Donald J. Trump, the 45th president of the United States. 3The former fashion model is Trump's third wife. His first two marriages ended in divorce. Melania Trump is also mother to Barron Trump, the youngest of Donald Trump's five children. 4In her position as U.S. First Lady, she launched BE BEST, a campaign focused around the well-being of children. Part of BE BEST is aimed at the opioid drug crisis and how to protect youngsters from drug abuse. 5The early days 6Melania Trump is only the second first lady born outside the United States. She was born Melanija Knavs on April 26, 1970 in a small town in Slovenia, which was then part of Yugoslavia. Her mother was a pattern maker for children's clothing. Her father sold automobiles and was a member of the Communist Party. 7The future Melania Trump grew up with a sister. Later in life, she found out she also had a half-brother. He belonged to her father from an earlier relationship. 8As a young woman, she reportedly had dreamt of leaving behind small-town life in Slovenia. Modeling would offer that chance. 9Modeling and marriage 10Melanija Knavs began working as a fashion model at the age of 16. She would attend college in Slovenia but left school after one year. The future first lady worked in Milan and Paris under the name Melania Knauss, the German pronunciation of her name. 11In 1996, she moved to New York City. There, she modeled for several advertising campaigns and publications, including for Max, a French magazine, and the British version of GQ. 12She met Donald Trump at a fashion industry party in 1998. Seven years later, in 2005, the two were married in Palm Beach, Florida. A year later, she gave birth to a son, Barron. She also became a naturalized U.S. citizen. 13In 2010, Melania Trump served as the Chairwoman for the American Heart Association. She helped the group raise $1.7 million for research. The same year, she launched her own jewelry collection. 14Trump presidential bid 15During Donald Trump's first presidential campaign in 2016, reporters and other Americans began asking questions about Melania's private life. That is when nude magazine pictures of her from Max and GQ resurfaced. 16As her husband pressed for controversial immigration reforms, critics also questioned her legal right to work as a model when she arrived in New York City. 17Melania Trump also made news during the 2016 Republican National Convention. Parts of the speech she gave were found to be very similar to parts of Michelle Obama's 2008 speech at the Democratic National Convention. Not long after, Trump's speech writer claimed responsibility for the mistake. 18BE BEST 19As First Lady, Trump has made many visits to schools, both in the United States and overseas. 20A little over a year after her husband took office, the First Lady launched her BE BEST campaign. It had three aims: to support the social and emotional well-being of children; protect children from effects of the opioid crisis; and fight bullying of children, especially on social media. 21Parts of the campaign have been well-received. For example, Melania Trump has visited children's hospitals for a firsthand look at the effects of opioid abuse on babies. She also has taken part in opioid conferences and continues to speak on opioid abuse and how to better protect children from it. 22Views on immigration 23The first lady's critics pointed out the contradiction between her mission to protect children and the Trump administration's immigration policies. They said the administration separated thousands of immigrant children from their parents and placed them all in crowded, unclean detention centers with little food. 24In a statement in summer 2018, she said she hated to see children separated from their families and hoped Republicans and Democrats would come together on immigration reforms. 25A few days later, she made an unplanned visit to a Texas detention center for immigrant children. But the visit made news for a different reason: She wore clothing with writing on it that said, "I REALLY DON'T CARE, DO YOU?" on the way to and from Texas. 26The 2020 RNC 27In her speech at the 2020 Republican National Convention, Melania Trump expressed that she did care about some things. 28The First Lady spoke with kindness about the nation's struggles with racial issues. She talked about "the beautiful side of humanity" she has observed following natural disasters around the country. She expressed sympathy for families affected by COVID-19, an "invisible enemy" she said that has tested the United States but brought its citizens together. 29And she said, "Total honesty is what we as citizens deserve from our president." 30I'm Alice Bryant. 31Alice Bryant wrote this profile for Learning English. George Grow was the editor. 32________________________________________________________________ 33Words in This Story 34fashion - n. the business of creating and selling clothes in new styles 35divorce - n. the ending of a marriage by a legal process 36focus - v. a main purpose or interest 37pronunciation - n. the way in which a word or name is said 38nude - adj. having no clothing on 39bullying - n. frightening, hurting or threatening smaller or weaker people 40controversial - adj. relating to or causing much discussion, disagreement, or argument 41contradiction - n. the act of saying or doing something that is opposite or very different from something else 42invisible - adj. impossible to see