WASHINGTON — Amalija Knavs, the mother of former first lady Melania Trump, has died. Knavs was 78.
She announced the death late Tuesday without disclosing the cause.
"It is with deep sadness that I announce the passing of my beloved mother, Amalija," Trump wrote on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. "Amalija Knavs was a strong woman who always carried herself with grace, warmth, and dignity. 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."
Donald Trump said at a New Years Eve celebration at his Mar-a-Lago estate that his mother-in-law was "very ill” and his wife was with her at a hospital in Miami.
Knavs was from Slovenia, previously communist Yugoslavia, and was a textile worker. She and her husband, Viktor, had resided in the United States and were frequently spotted in Washington after their son-in-law became president in 2017.
The retired couple maintained regular contact with the Trump family during the administration, often traveling with the first family on trips to Mar-a-Lago and Bedminster, New Jersey.
The Knavses became US citizens in 2018, controversially obtaining their citizenship through the sponsorship of their adult daughter –- a visa category the Trump administration had sought to end. Donald Trump had harshly criticized family-based migration, regularly referring to it as "chain migration."
Melania Trump, who herself became a U.S. citizen in 2006, is only the second foreign-born first lady.
