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Melania Trump slammed for RNC speech on immigration, a look at her family lineage and how she got Einstein visa

'I arrived in the United States when I was 26-year-old. Living and working in the land of opportunity was a dream come true, but I wanted more. I wanted to be a citizen,' the First Lady said
UPDATED AUG 26, 2020
Melania Trump (Getty Images)
Melania Trump (Getty Images)

One of the most awaited speeches which were being discussed even before it was made was that of First Lady Melania Trump. Melania delivered her speech from the newly renovated Rose Garden in front of a sizeable number of people on Tuesday, August 25. She began by saying that it feels just like yesterday that her husband accepted the Republican nomination and then became the 45th president. Melania said, “I know I speak for my husband and my entire family when I say that we have not forgotten the incredible people who were willing to take a chance on a businessman who has never worked in politics.”

Melania addressed the Covid-19 situation and thanked healthcare workers and frontline workers. She said, “I want to acknowledge the fact that since March, our lives have changed drastically. The invisible enemy, Covid-19, swept across our beautiful country and impacted all of us. My deepest sympathy goes out to everyone who has lost a loved one and my prayers are with those who are ill or suffering. I know many people are anxious and some feel helpless. I want you to know you are not alone. My husband's administration will not stop fighting until there's an effective treatment or vaccine available to everyone. Donald will not rest until he has done all he can to take care of everyone impacted by this terrible pandemic.”

She added, “It is in times like this that we will look back and tell our grandchildren that, through kindness and compassion, strength and determination, we were able to restore the promise of our future. Businesses stepped up, and volunteers stepped in. People were eager to share ideas, resources, and support of all kinds with neighborhoods and strangers, alike. It has been inspiring to see what the people of our great nation will do for one another, especially when we are at our most fragile.”

Melania spoke about her own journey as well. “Growing up as a young child in Slovenia, which was under communist rule at the time, I always heard about an amazing place called America. A land that stood for freedom and opportunity. As I grew older it became my goal to move to the United States and follow my dream of working in the fashion industry.” She added, “I arrived in the United States when I was 26-year-old. Living and working in the land of opportunity was a dream come true, but I wanted more. I wanted to be a citizen. After 10 years of paperwork and patience, I studied for the test in 2006 and became an American citizen. It is still one of the proudest moments in my life because, with hard work and determination, I was able to achieve my own American dream. As an immigrant and a very independent woman, I understand what a privilege it is to live here and to enjoy the freedoms and opportunities that we have. As First Lady, I have been fortunate to see the American dream come true over and over again.”

She stated, “Like all of you, I have reflected on the racial unrest in our country. It is a harsh reality that we are not proud of parts of our history. I encourage people to focus on our future, still learning from our past. We must remember that today we are all one community comprised of many races, religion and ethnicities.” She appealed, "I also ask people to stop the violence and never make assumptions based on the color of a person’s skin. Instead of tearing things down let’s reflect on our mistakes, be proud of our evolution and look to tour way forward.” The First Lady said that they would be “honored to serve this incredible country for four more years”.  She concluded by saying, “I believe that we need my husband's leadership now more than ever in order to bring us back once again to the greatest economy and the strongest country ever known.”

However, Melania's immigration story in particular had created a buzz on Twitter. One user said, "Melania's reference to rioting looting negated any attempt to move the Trump campaign beyond appeals to bigotry, hate, and fear. Too bad. It seemed to be an honest attempt at redemption by an immigrant who illegally entered the country by lieing on her initial visa application."



 

Another said, "Melania worked here illegally overstaying her visa, chain migrated her family while DJT was railing against chain migration otherwise known as family migration. She only became a legal immigrant through Trump's and Epstein's bribes. The hypocrisy makes me gag."



 

One user commented, "The hypocrisy of the GOP is beyond belief. Their whole entire existence is built on the idea that immigrants don’t belong in their America, yet they’ll sit there & pretend that Melania is “one of them” because she is Trump’s (third) wife. What a f**king joke."



 

Another said, "The ironic thing about Melania exploiting her immigrant story is that she’s a racist birther who spread the conspiracy theory that Obama wasn’t born in the US because he’s Black. Wake up."



 

However, there were a few who backed the First Lady. "That’s an incredibly insensitive & racist comment Karen, er Bette! If Melania was a Democrat you would be praising her for speaking 6 languages and being an immigrant who made her dream of coming to America a reality. #IntolerantLeft #racistkaren," said one.



 

"I'm an immigrant and I speak with the same accent as Melania and I can't thank you enough for being honest and showing your real feelings towards the immigrants! Btw is this how you liberals show your support to ALL immigrants? Liars!!!," said another.



 

Melania’s journey

She was born as Melanija Knavs in Sevnica, a small town near Slovenia's capital Ljubljana. According to the BBC, Melania's father, Viktor, was a successful car salesman and her mother, Amalija, designed prints for a fashion brand. Melania was a student of design and architecture in Ljubljana. As per the report, her professional website had claimed that she held a degree, but later it was said that she dropped out during her first year. At the age of 18, Melania joined a modeling agency in Milan and began traveling around Europe and the US, featuring in high-profile ad campaigns. During a New York Fashion week party, she met her husband, Donald Trump. The couple married in 2005 and had their son, Barron, in 2006. The report states that Melania never drinks and stays away from late-night parties. She has her own jewelry business and is also involved in the design process.

When questions were raised about her visa and citizenship, the BBC report quotes Melania telling Harper's Bazaar, “It never crossed my mind to stay here without papers. You follow the rules. You follow the law. Every few months you need to fly back to Europe and stamp your visa.” In a 2018 BBC report, it was stated that, according to the Washington Post, Melania had obtained her US citizenship on a visa reserved for immigrants with "extraordinary ability" and "sustained national and international acclaim". The EB-1 visa or as it is nicknamed "Einstein Visa", according to the report, is reserved for people who have extraordinary achievements. The government cites Pulitzer, Oscar and Olympic winners as examples as well as respected academic researchers and multinational executives.

As per the report, Melania had initially applied for the visa in 2000, and it was approved in 2001. The report states that according to the Washington Post, she was one of just five people from Slovenia to get the visa that year. In 2006, Melania became a citizen and used her sponsorship rights for her parents, who are now in the US and in the process of applying for citizenship. According to the report, questions have been raised about her eligibility in that particular visa category. As per the report, doubts were increasing as Trump was trying to scrap the right of new citizens to sponsor family members.

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