Share

Former First Lady Melania Trump Announces Passing of Mother Amalija Knavs


Amalija Knavs, the mother of former first lady Melania Trump, has died, Melania Trump said on social media Tuesday night.

Knavs, who was born in Slovenia in 1945, was 78. Amalija Knavs and her husband Viktor had Melania in 1970. The first lady’s parents became U.S. citizens in 2018, while their son-in-law, Donald Trump, was president.

“It is with deep sadness that I announce the passing of my beloved mother, Amalija. Amalija Knavs was a strong woman who always carried herself with grace, warmth, and dignity,” Melania Trump posted on X, formerly Twitter. “She was entirely devoted to her husband, daughters, grandson, and son-in-law. We will miss her beyond measure and continue to honor and love her legacy.”

Melania Trump did not announce a cause of death in the social media post.

Amalija Knavs Dies at 78
Former First Lady Melania Trump’s mother Amalija Knavs at the White House on August 19, 2018. The former first lady announced on January 9, 2024, that her mother had died. Knavs was 78.
Eric BARADAT / AFP/Getty

Newsweek reached out via email and website to representatives of Former President Donald Trump and former First Lady Melania Trump for comment.

The former president confirmed earlier this month that his wife’s absence from holiday celebrations was because she was staying with her sick mother.

During a New Year’s Eve party at his Mar-a-Lago, Florida residence, Donald Trump said that Knavs was “very ill” and that Melania was with her mother in a hospital in Miami, describing the situation as “a very tough one.”

This is a breaking news story and will be updated.