Melania Trump‘s mother, and Donald Trump‘s mother-in-law, Amalija Knavs died on January 9, 2024, aged 78.
Knavs worked as a farmer and a textile pattern marker after being born in Austria, just after the conclusion of the European theatre of World War II, in July 1945. She was raised in the state to the south of Germany before migrating to Slovenia with her parents.
She was married to Viktor Knavs from 1966 and they produced two children together, Ines (1968) and Melania (1970). She became a citizen of the United States in 2018 via chain migration, a moment they were very proud of.
“It is with deep sadness that I announce the passing of my beloved mother, Amalija,” Melania Trump wrote in a statement on X, 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.”
What was her cause of death?
Based on comments from the former-President of the United States, Melania’s mother died due to illness although it’s unclear yet as of which specific type took her life.
It will remain to be seen how often Melania will accompany her husband on any presidential campaigns in the upcoming weeks, or whether her husband will even postpone any events.
“Melania – great first lady, so popular, the people love her,” Donald Trump said at a New Year’s Eve celebration. “She’s now in a hospital with her mother. Her mother, Amalija, is very ill, but hopefully she’ll be recovering.”
“But she’s been very ill. So, I just want to say ‘hello’ to the first lady – we just spoke, down in Miami, great hospital – and hopefully they’ll be ok.
“But it’s a tough one, it’s a very tough one. She knows probably about 95% of the people in this room. We just want to wish Amalija that she gets better as quickly as possible.”