How Melania’s friendship with an archivist working at the agency suing her HUSBAND led to hosting ceremony where she talked about her humble beginnings in Slovenia and her ‘arduous’ journey to the White House

Melania Trump's friendship with American archivist Colleen Shogan led to her speaking at the naturalization ceremony for new citizens on Friday, where she talked about her journey from growing up in Slovenia to her time in the White House.

Shogan personally invited the former First Lady to attend, a National Archives spokesperson said.

During Trump's time in the White House, Shogan worked with her and her East Wing staff on numerous projects in Shogan's role at the Women's Suffrage Centennial Commission and at the White House Historical Association.

Ironically, Shogan's swearing-in ceremony as archivist was attended by Jill Biden. Shogan was appointed archivist by President Joe Biden in the summer of 2022 — shortly after the FBI raided Donald Trump's home and seized thousands of pages of documents during an investigation into whether he removed classified material from the White House after his presidency House had taken.

But there was no small talk at Friday's ceremony, where the former first lady described her journey from her childhood in Slovenia to a new life in the United States, along with the sense of pride she felt when she became an American.

'The road to citizenship is difficult. “I was born and raised in the picturesque country of Slovenia, where my parents taught me the importance of a strong work ethic and pursuing my dreams,” said Melania Trump.

The values ​​they instilled in me at a young age defined my modeling career and took me to Paris and Milan. While working internationally, it came with trials and tribulations. It wasn't until I moved to New York City in 1996 that the system really tested my resolve.

“My life turned into organizing paperwork,” she said of her citizenship process.

“Patience and tenacity became my constant companions,” she said. “For me, reaching the milestone marked the sunrise of certainty. In that exact moment, I forever threw away the burden associated with whether I could live in the United States. I hope you now experience a similar sense of comfort.”

She said her citizenship gave her “an enormous sense of pride and belonging.”

Melania arrived in America from Slovenia in 1996 and became an American citizen ten years later. She is only the country's second foreign-born first lady.

In her youth, Melania's father Viktor was a member of the Communist Party under Yugoslav dictator Marshal Tito, and when Melania grew up the family lived in a series of modest apartments.

Viktor, a car parts salesman, drove a Mercedes, and by the time young Melania was 16, he had built the house in the small town of Sevnica – population 4,500 – as a weekend retreat for the family. The property is located on the banks of the Sava River.

Meanwhile, Melania's mother Amalija worked as a manager in a textile factory. She returned from business trips to Milan and Paris with stories that would inspire her daughter to make a name for herself in international fashion – first as a designer before embarking on the modeling career that would lead to her meeting Donald Trump.

She started modeling in Europe and moved to New York City in 1996. She became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 2006 and subsequently sponsored her parents to become a U.S. citizen.

Melania, her parents and sister moved to an apartment in the Slovenian capital Ljubljana when she was about 14, and she attended the city's high school for design and photography.

But her family maintained ties with Sevnica, building their own white-painted house with a balcony and staying there on weekends.

Her parents, who have lived in New York for the past few years, still own the house and return once or twice a year. It even has an American-style mailbox.

Melania was 16 when she was spotted by fashion photographer Stane Jerko in Ljubljana and he invited her to pose for him. He said: 'I saw a tall girl with long hair and long legs, so I immediately introduced myself. She was a bit self-conscious when I first photographed her, but she learned very quickly and relaxed.'

After modeling in Western Europe, she moved to New York in 1996. Two years later, she met then-real estate magnate Donald Trump at a party. The two became engaged in 2004 and married the following year in Palm Beach, Florida.

In 2006, she had their son Barron. She also became a U.S. citizen and later sponsored her parents, Viktor and Amalija Knavs, in a process known as chain migration.

Friday's naturalization event comes nearly two years after the National Archives and Record Administration asked the Justice Department to investigate Donald Trump's handling of documents during his tenure in the White House.

The investigation led to an indictment against the former president, who has pleaded not guilty to 37 federal charges. The trial in the case is expected to begin in May in Florida.

Donald Trump has promised a widespread expansion of hardline immigration policies if he is re-elected in 2024, which would limit both legal and illegal immigration.

During the Trump administration, Melania seemed disengaged from immigration issues — especially after her controversial visit to a migrant detention center at the southern border in 2018, when she delivered her now infamous “I really don't care, do I?” jacket.

Melania Trump has largely avoided the public eye since leaving Washington in January 2021. She has been featured in social media posts from guests who visited the Trump clubs at Mar-a-Lago, in Palm Beach, Florida; and in Bedminster, New Jersey.

She made a rare appearance at Rossalyn Carter's funeral last month, along with former first ladies Michelle Obama, Laura Bush and Hillary Clinton.

Notably, Melania Trump has not stood by Donald Trump's side as he wages his many legal battles in New York, Georgia and federal courts.

And while Melania Trump has said she supports her husband's bid for a second term in the White House, she hasn't appeared at one of his campaign events in more than a year — not since he announced his 2024 bid for Mar. -a- Lago on November 15, 2022.

In September, Donald Trump suggested that his wife would soon join him on the road.

Trump suggested his wife could join him on the campaign trail in the near future.

“If necessary, but pretty quickly,” he said on NBC's Meet the Press. “She is a private person, a wonderful person, a very confident person and she loves our country very much. …And honestly, I like to keep her away from it. It's so dirty and so mean.'