What began as a chance encounter at a Fashion Week party would evolve into a story of hesitation, separation, and a dazzling Met Gala proposal.
Melania Knauss, a Slovenian-born model, met Donald Trump in 1998 at a New York Fashion Week party hosted by Paolo Zampolli. Trump, recently separated from Marla Maples, approached Melania despite arriving with another date. She refused to give him her number, instead asking for his. He handed her all of them, and she waited a week before calling.
Their chemistry was instant but not without obstacles. The couple briefly split in 2000, with Trump confirming the breakup publicly. Melania’s former roommate recalled she had trust issues early on and kept her own apartment. Within six months, they reconciled and dated steadily.
In 2004, Trump proposed at the Met Gala with a 12-carat, $2 million diamond ring. “It was a great surprise,” Melania said. They married the following year at Mar-a-Lago, where she wore a Dior gown crafted over 1,000 hours.
In March 2006, their son Barron was born. Donald proudly noted Melania loved caring for him, while their baby’s nursery spanned an entire floor of their Manhattan home.
From their first meeting to a glamorous engagement and family life, Donald and Melania’s relationship unfolded with the same mix of spectacle and resilience that has marked much of Trump’s public life.
