US

Melania Trump’s parents become US citizens

US first lady’s mother and father take the citizenship oath in New York City

File image of Viktor and Amalija Knavs, the parents of US first lady Melania Trump, walking across the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC. File photograph: Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images
File image of Viktor and Amalija Knavs, the parents of US first lady Melania Trump, walking across the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC. File photograph: Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images
Fri Aug 10 2018 - 21:20

US first lady Melania Trump’s parents have been sworn in as US citizens.

A lawyer for Viktor and Amalija Knavs said the Slovenian couple took the citizenship oath on Thursday in New York City.

They had been living in the US as permanent residents.

The Knavses raised Ms Trump in the rural industrial town of Sevnica while Slovenia was under Communist rule.

READ MORE

Mr Knavs (74), was a car dealer, while his wife, who is 73, worked in a textile factory.

The first lady, born Melanija, changed her name to Melania Knauss when she started modelling.

She settled in New York in 1996 and met Donald Trump two years later. – AP