First lady Melania Trump stepped into the limelight this week to debut her anti-cyberbullying initiative, “Be Best.”

Her campaign has been puzzling to some, given her husband’s affinity for insulting his opponents on Twitter, and others ridiculed her for releasing an educational booklet that was virtually identical to one the Obama administration published.

But despite the criticism, the first lady is generally well-liked among the public and is far more popular than her husband, polls have found.

Though Trump is much more private than her predecessors, spending much of her time away from the spotlight, 57% of Americans say they have a favorable impression of her, according to a CNN poll released this week.

Here are incredible facts about Trump that set her apart from other first ladies.


She is only the second first lady in American history born outside of the United States, in Slovenia. The only other foreign-born first lady was Louisa Catherine Johnson, the wife of John Quincy Adams; she was born in England.

Foto: source Getty Images/Win McNamee

Source: Business Insider


Trump is also the only FLOTUS who grew up in a Communist country, back when Slovenia was part of Yugoslavia. Though money was tight for many people in the small town of Sevnica, people who knew Melanija Knavs back then say she was "always very fancy" and "never wore anything from the store."

Foto: A sign that says "Welcome to the Hometown of the First Lady" in Slovenian in Sevnica, Slovenia, in November 2016. source Getty Images/Jack Taylor

Source: GQ


Trump is the only first lady to be her husband's third spouse. Donald Trump was previously married to Marla Maples until 1999, and, before that, Ivana Trump until 1992.

Foto: source Newsmakers/Spencer Platt via Getty Images

Source: Business Insider


She's also the only first lady whose first language wasn't English.

Foto: source Associated Press/Manuel Balce Ceneta

Source: CNN


Trump is a noted polyglot. She can speak more languages than any first lady before her: English, French, German, Italian, and Serbian, in addition to her native Slovenian.

Foto: French President Emmanuel Macron kisses Melania Trump's hand during a ceremony at the White House in April. source Joshua Roberts/Reuters

Source: CNN


Melania Trump was a successful model, known for her appearances in Sports Illustrated, Vanity Fair, Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, and GQ. She's also the only first lady to have posed nude for magazines, including a British GQ photo spread in 2000.

Foto: source Getty Images/Peter Kramer

Source: GQ


You might also recognize Trump from her appearance alongside the Aflac duck in a 2005 mad-scientist-themed insurance commercial.

Foto: source YouTube/The Hall of Advertising

Source: YouTube/The Hall of Advertising


While she towers over many people she meets, Trump, at 5-foot-11, is tied for tallest first lady with Michelle Obama and Eleanor Roosevelt.

Foto: Russian President Vladimir Putin is rumored to be 5-foot-5, though he has never confirmed that. source Sputnik/Mikhail Klimentyev/Kremlin via REUTERS

Source: CBS News


In addition to her modeling career, Trump was also a businesswoman who launched a jewelry line in 2010 and a caviar-based skincare line in 2013.

Foto: Trump visits a pearl jewelry maker in Tokyo in November. source Associated Press/Shizuo Kambayashi

Source: CNN


Trump is the second first lady who is a practicing Catholic — the first was Jaqueline Kennedy. That fact made Trump's visit to the Vatican last May particularly meaningful. When she met Pope Francis, she held out rosary beads for him to bless.

Foto: source Getty Images/Franco Origlia

Source: Philadelphia Inquirer, CNN


Unlike other first ladies, Trump also delayed her move into the White House until five months into her husband's presidency.

Foto: source Getty Images/Chris Kleponis

Source: Vanity Fair


Though some critics speculated that Trump was trying to shun her role as first lady, the Trumps have said the delay was because they wanted their son Barron to finish out fifth grade in New York.

Foto: source Getty Images/Chip Somodevilla

Source: Vanity Fair


But when Trump did finally move to Washington, the members of the permanent White House staff instantly adored her. It was her thoughtful, everyday interactions with them that made her stand out among other first families, former staffers have said.

Foto: source Getty Images/Mark Wilson

Source: Vanity Fair


The Trumps reportedly "spend very little to no time together," sleep in different bedrooms, and operate on separate schedules, according to some White House aides and friends.

Foto: source Getty Images/Chris Kleponis

Source: Washington Post


There's even a conspiracy theory going around Washington that Trump doesn't live in the White House at all, instead living in a house with her parents near her son's school.

Foto: source Associated Press/Evan Vucci

Source: Washington Post, Business Insider


But according to the first lady's spokeswoman, the rumor is "1,000% false." She said: "We laugh at it all the time."

Foto: source Associated Press/Manuel Balce Ceneta

Despite the White House's best efforts, the Trumps' marriage remains one of the greatest curiosities among the press and the public — especially as controversy grows around an alleged affair between the president and the adult-film star Stormy Daniels, as well as a $130,000 hush-money payment.

Foto: source Associated Press/Susan Walsh

Source: Business Insider


Melania Trump hasn't yet spoken out about it. Some speculate that her refusing to hold her husband's hand and taking separate routes to events are telltale signs of conflict. But for the foreseeable future, it looks as if their marriage will stay private.

Foto: source Getty Images/Mark Wilson

Source: Business Insider (1, 2)


Trump stands out from her predecessors with her quiet manner and reserved personality. Her friends have described her as a homebody who often retires from events early and avoids being the center of attention.

Foto: source Getty Images/Mark Wilson

Source: GQ


But it's tough to stay private when you're one of the most recognizable women in the world.

Foto: source The White House via Getty Images

Source: White House