Melania Trump often stays away from the White House and the spotlight that comes with the title of First Lady. However, we can’t say the same when it comes to controversies. During both the terms of Donald Trump’s presidency, his wife has been embroiled in her fair share of controversies that have left a permanent dent in her public image.
Remember the whole fiasco around Melania’s educational qualifications that even forced her to temporarily delete her website? It all started a week after Melania was accused of plagiarizing Michelle Obama‘s speech in 2016 at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Ohio. As curious netizens and journalists started digging into Melania’s educational background, it was found out that Melania had allegedly lied about having a degree in architecture from the University of Ljubljana in Slovenia.
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) May 20, 2025
Her website mentioned that she had a degree, but her biography titled ‘Melania Trump: The Inside Story’ released in 2016, claimed that she dropped out after one year to pursue her modelling career. In his book, Bojan Pozar, Slovenia’s one of the most prominent journalists, stated that presidential nominee Trump and his advisors embellished the potential first lady’s education as “they were desperate to give off the impression that the Slovenian model was not just beautiful, but also smart and well-educated.”
However, as the truth came out after Melania became the first lady, her website was taken down. She then tweeted, “The website in question was created in 2012 and has been removed because it does not accurately reflect my current business and professional interests.”
📸PHOTOS: In the Rose Garden today, President Donald J. Trump signed the Take It Down Act into law—landmark legislation championed by First Lady Melania Trump.
WE MUST PROTECT OUR CHILDREN! pic.twitter.com/SOn2TUFLT8
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) May 20, 2025
Melania’s website remained closed for quite some time. However, after removing all the false claims, the website went live again. As of date, Melania Trump’s website lists her initiatives as a First Lady. She also sells her memoir, audiobook and jewelry on the website. Interestingly, Melania never apologized for lying about her educational background.
The entire fiasco hasn’t escaped Melania yet for two reasons. Firstly, because the Trumps did the damage themselves by lying to people. And secondly, because both her predecessor and successor turned out to be highly qualified. Michelle Obama, who was the First Lady for two consecutive terms, has a BA degree from Princeton University, where she majored in sociology and minored in African-American studies. She then earned her JD degree from Harvard Law School.
This election couldn’t be closer. Every single vote will matter — even a handful of votes could be decisive in a swing state. That’s why we’ve all got to #DoSomething during these final few days of the election. pic.twitter.com/ArmQBo4ddC
— Michelle Obama (@MichelleObama) October 18, 2024
Meanwhile, Jill Biden, who replaced Melania as the next FLOTUS in 2021, has a doctorate from the University of Delaware.
Melania is the least educated first lady of the 21st century, but that’s not the only swamp she hasn’t been able to escape. We all know that Melania hails from Slovenia. She moved to New York in 1996 and began applying for US Citizenship in 2000. A year later, she was granted an EB-1 visa, which is a golden pathway to permanent residency in the US for individuals with ‘extra-ordinary abilities’.
EB-1 visa is also famously called the ‘Einstein’ visa, as it is generally granted to people who are highly acclaimed in their field. This generally includes Olympics, Oscar, or Pulitzer winners, as well as multinational executives and academic researchers. The Washington Post reveals that Melania was one of five people in Slovenia to win the coveted visa in 2001. At that time, Melania’s biggest accomplishments were some runway shows in Europe, and a billboard ad in Times Square.
It still rattles people how Melania got the Einstein visa. It is also often questioned if she had maintained legal immigration status before she was granted EB- 1 visa. Though Melania claims that she entered the US legally, her previous statements suggest that she came on a short-term visa that wouldn’t have allowed her to work as a model. She also claims that she came to the United States in 1996 but a photoshoot allegedly places her in the US in 1995, and her biography by Slovenian journalists mention the same.
Melania’s immigration status becomes the center of suspicion especially because her husband, Donald Trump has been ruthlessly going after immigrants ever since he returned to the office to serve his second term.
Melania’s way of dealing with controversies is by ignoring them. Unlike her 78-year-old husband, she remains unbothered by what the world has to say about her. Instead, she just focuses on her duties as a mother, wife and first lady.
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