The Trump family have a lot on their plate. Donald Trump has won both the Iowa Caucuses and the New Hampshire Republican primary, and most points toward him becoming the Republican candidate for the 2024 Presidential election, but at the same time, he’s splitting his time between the campaign trail and the courtroom. On Thursday, Trump testified in the E. Jean Carroll defamation trial, in which the former advice columnist and freelance writer is accusing Trump of sexually assaulting her in the 1990s.
On January 10, the family received yet another blow when Melania’s mother, Amalija Knavs, died at 78.
Melania announced the news with sadness.
“Amalija Knavs was a strong woman who always carried herself with grace, warmth, and dignity,” the former First Lady said.
In the statement she released, Melania further wrote about her late mother that “[Amalija] 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.”
The news of Amalija’s ill state came to light when Melania was missing from the Christmas family photo. Back then, Donald Trump explained that his wife was absent because she was caring for her mother whose health deteriorated.
Amalija Knavs and her husband, Viktor, became US citizens in 2018 after living in the US on green cards sponsored by their daughter.
Melania’s parents have always been by her and her sister’s side. They have been very supportive and did all in their power to provide a good life for their daughters. Even when they were very young, Amalija and Viktor took Melania and her sister Ines to trips around Europe, including France, Germany, and Italy.
When Trump became the President, Melania gave speech in the White House Rose Garden in which she thanked her parents.
“My parents worked very hard to ensure our family could not only live and prosper in America but also contribute to a nation that allows for people to arrive with a dream and make it a reality,” she said. “I want to take the moment to thank my mother and father for all that they have done for our family. It is because of you that I am standing here today.”
Melania’s parents also played an important role in the life and upbringing of Barron Trump.
“Barron almost certainly speaks Slovenian with… Ines, his aunt, who also lives in New York.” author Bojan Pozar wrote in his book Melania Trump – The Inside Story: The Potential First Lady, released in 2016. “[Melania’s sister] Ines Knavs was the one who took care of all the paperwork at the Slovenia consulate in New York so that Barron could formally acquire Slovenian citizenship.” The same was true for Amalija and Viktor.
The New York Times reported that Melania’s parents “split their time among an apartment in Trump Tower, Mr. Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club in Florida and the suite in the White House once used by Mrs. Obama’s mother.”
During the private funeral of Amalija, Melania Trump delivered an emotional eulogy, paying tribute to her mother’s “unparalleled affection.” She remembered her mother as “a ray of light in the darkest of days.”
“She embodied the best mother, wife, grandmother, mother-in-law – a true beacon of love and luxury in our lives,” Melania Trump said, adding that her mother’s “beauty and impeccable sense of style turned the heads of many.”
“She’s a true inspiration, a role model to me, and to so many,” the former FLOTUS said, concluding her seven-minute eulogy with, “Rest in peace, my beloved mummy.”
At his campaign rally, Trump also took the time to mention his late mother-in-law and thank her for everything she had done for his son and his family.
“I want to thank her incredible, beautiful mother who passed away a few days ago,” he said. “And she’s up there, way up there. She’s looking down and she’s so proud of us,” he told the crowd.
“And I just want to say to Amalija, you are special, one of the most special people I’ve ever known,” he added.
Trump further added, “Great people, great parents to all of us, really. Great parents, but also to Barron. Boy, did she take care of Barron. That’s how he got so tall, he only ate her food.”
Trump then joked about his son’s height, saying it is pity he isn’t interested in basketball, but in soccer.
“I said you’re gonna be a basketball player. He said, ‘Well, I like soccer, Dad, actually.’ I thought… at your height, I like basketball better, but you can’t talk them into everything,” Trump added, saying that Barron was a “special boy.”
On the day of Amelija’s funeral, the family showed how united and how close they are.
At one moment, Barron was spotted extending his arm towards his visibly emotional father in an attempt to comfort him.
Body language expert Judy James said this act by Barron shows that he’s growing older and with that, he’s taking more responsibility.
“It elicits an unusual response from their son Barron, too. Clearly tuned into his father’s mood, he extends a hand in what looks like a mimed or truncated embrace that could suggest a desire to show comfort and/or support,” Judi James explained.
“This is an unusual display of emotion from Trump, who appears to be mourning Melania’s mother as a personal loss,” she added.
Further, James discussed how Donald Trump “seems to have adopted a pose similar to his wife Melania” and “here “looking much more vulnerable than usual, with his arms falling to the front of his torso and a reflective-looking frown on his face.”
In another interview, Judy told The Mirror, “Donald and Melania have positioned their son between them rather than standing together here, and Trump himself is standing rigidly to attention with his chin raised as though wanting to perform a mark of formal respect for his mother-in-law.
“The lack of touch here could be deliberate. When someone has to mourn in public, it is common to worry that acts of comfort, support, and affection can make them lose their composure completely, and that might be Melania’s concern that she needs to stay in control of her emotions at this very public moment for the ex-FLOTUS.”
We are so very sorry for Melania Trump’s loss.
Our thoughts and prayers are with the Trumps during their time of grief.
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