First lady Melania Trump has given a shoutout to her seldom-spotted sibling at the premiere of a controversial and critically panned new documentary about her life.
“To my son Barron, my sister Ines, my father Viktor Knauss, and my mother who is watching down from Heaven—your love is the powerful force that propels me forward!” Donald Trump’s third wife said from the podium at the premiere of Melania earlier this week.
Born 1968 in Slovenia, Ines Knauss has led a decidedly more private life than her sister, avoiding publicity even during Melania’s time as first lady.
The pair are nevertheless understood to be close, with Ines reportedly serving as Melania’s maid of honor at her wedding to Trump in 2005, the same year she was snapped attending a fashion luncheon at Mar-a-Lago.
Numerous reports describe Ines as an artist. Melania occasionally shares some of her work on social media.
Melania is reported to have helped Ines secure permanent residence in the United States sometime during her husband’s first administration, according to a 2020 biography.
At that time, the MAGA president was known to have railed against “chain migration,” an immigration process that allows citizens to request residency on behalf of immediate family.
Trump claimed the policy was being exploited to allow terrorists into the United States.
Produced by accused sex pest Brett Ratner, the first lady’s new documentary Melania has flopped even ahead of its global release despite a combined production and promotion costs of $75 million.
The first U.K. viewing at a popular London cinema this week sold just one ticket, with users blasting both Trump and her husband’s administration in reviews on ratings site Letterboxd.
“Sex pest Brett Ratner resurrected by the state so he can make propaganda fluff about the dictator’s wife,” one person wrote.
“F--k ice and f--k trump and his administration,” another added.
