First lady Melania Trump stepped into the limelight this week to debut her anti-cyberbullying initiative, “Be Best.”
Her campaign has been puzzling to some, given her husband’s affinity for insulting his opponents on Twitter, and others ridiculed her for releasing an educational booklet that was virtually identical to one the Obama administration published.
But despite the criticism, the first lady is generally well-liked among the public and is far more popular than her husband, polls have found.
Though Trump is much more private than her predecessors, spending much of her time away from the spotlight, 57% of Americans say they have a favorable impression of her, according to a CNN poll released this week.
Here are incredible facts about Trump that set her apart from other first ladies.
She is only the second first lady in American history born outside of the United States, in Slovenia. The only other foreign-born first lady was Louisa Catherine Johnson, the wife of John Quincy Adams; she was born in England.
Source: Business Insider
Trump is also the only FLOTUS who grew up in a Communist country, back when Slovenia was part of Yugoslavia. Though money was tight for many people in the small town of Sevnica, people who knew Melanija Knavs back then say she was "always very fancy" and "never wore anything from the store."
Source: GQ
Trump is the only first lady to be her husband's third spouse. Donald Trump was previously married to Marla Maples until 1999, and, before that, Ivana Trump until 1992.
Source: Business Insider
She's also the only first lady whose first language wasn't English.
Source: CNN
Trump is a noted polyglot. She can speak more languages than any first lady before her: English, French, German, Italian, and Serbian, in addition to her native Slovenian.
Source: CNN
Melania Trump was a successful model, known for her appearances in Sports Illustrated, Vanity Fair, Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, and GQ. She's also the only first lady to have posed nude for magazines, including a British GQ photo spread in 2000.
Source: GQ
You might also recognize Trump from her appearance alongside the Aflac duck in a 2005 mad-scientist-themed insurance commercial.
Source: YouTube/The Hall of Advertising
While she towers over many people she meets, Trump, at 5-foot-11, is tied for tallest first lady with Michelle Obama and Eleanor Roosevelt.
Source: CBS News
In addition to her modeling career, Trump was also a businesswoman who launched a jewelry line in 2010 and a caviar-based skincare line in 2013.
Source: CNN
Trump is the second first lady who is a practicing Catholic — the first was Jaqueline Kennedy. That fact made Trump's visit to the Vatican last May particularly meaningful. When she met Pope Francis, she held out rosary beads for him to bless.
Source: Philadelphia Inquirer, CNN
Unlike other first ladies, Trump also delayed her move into the White House until five months into her husband's presidency.
Source: Vanity Fair
Though some critics speculated that Trump was trying to shun her role as first lady, the Trumps have said the delay was because they wanted their son Barron to finish out fifth grade in New York.
Source: Vanity Fair
But when Trump did finally move to Washington, the members of the permanent White House staff instantly adored her. It was her thoughtful, everyday interactions with them that made her stand out among other first families, former staffers have said.
Source: Vanity Fair
The Trumps reportedly "spend very little to no time together," sleep in different bedrooms, and operate on separate schedules, according to some White House aides and friends.
Source: Washington Post
There's even a conspiracy theory going around Washington that Trump doesn't live in the White House at all, instead living in a house with her parents near her son's school.
Source: Washington Post, Business Insider
But according to the first lady's spokeswoman, the rumor is "1,000% false." She said: "We laugh at it all the time."
Source: Washington Post, Business Insider
Despite the White House's best efforts, the Trumps' marriage remains one of the greatest curiosities among the press and the public — especially as controversy grows around an alleged affair between the president and the adult-film star Stormy Daniels, as well as a $130,000 hush-money payment.
Source: Business Insider
Melania Trump hasn't yet spoken out about it. Some speculate that her refusing to hold her husband's hand and taking separate routes to events are telltale signs of conflict. But for the foreseeable future, it looks as if their marriage will stay private.
Source: Business Insider (1, 2)
Trump stands out from her predecessors with her quiet manner and reserved personality. Her friends have described her as a homebody who often retires from events early and avoids being the center of attention.
Source: GQ
But it's tough to stay private when you're one of the most recognizable women in the world.
Source: White House
