Amalija Knavs

Amalija Knavs (; July 9, 1945 – January 9, 2024) was a Slovenian textile worker and the mother of Melania Trump, the first lady of the United States.

Early and personal life Amalija Ulčnik was born on July 9, 1945, in Judendorf-Straßengel, Allied-occupied Austria. She was raised there and in Slovenia, which was at the time part of Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Her mother, Amalija , was a seamstress and farmer and her father, Anton Ulčnik, was a cobbler and later a red-onion farmer. After marrying, they lived in Sevnica, Slovenia. The couple had two daughters: Ines (born 1968) and Melanija (born 1970). It was later confirmed that Melania sponsored their green cards. In August 2018, Amalija and Viktor Knavs became U.S. citizens after taking an oath at a New York City courthouse. The New York Times described her as not adhering in public to the "stereotypes of an American grandmother".

On January 9, 2024, Knavs died at a hospital in Miami, Florida, at the age of 78. 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.