For two decades, Donald and Melania Trump have been married. They have been flashing smiles, posing for cameras, but behind the photo ops and political fanfare, whispers about cracks in their relationship have made consistent headlines for years. And it’s not just gossip columns stirring the pot. The Stormy Daniels scandal brought things to a boil. Everyone is aware of the POTUS‘s previous high-profile divorces too. But, what about the First Lady? What did her romantic life look like before she met Trump? Trump was raw-dogging Stormy Daniels at about the time this photo was taken. Today, as he’s in court for election interference by covering up the $130,000 payment to Daniels, he wants you to believe he’s upset because he can’t be with Melania on her birthday. Nice try, Fuckface. pic.twitter.com/OR57YnErCg — Canada Hates Trump (@AntiTrumpCanada) April 26, 2024 In the tell-all Melania and Me: The Rise and Fall of My Friendship with the First Lady, former aide and longtime friend Stephanie Winston Wolkoff offered a rare glimpse behind the curtain. Wolkoff references an early GQ profile to paint a portrait of Melania’s early days in the city, one that defied the stereotype of a young, ambitious model living it up in Manhattan. Instead, Melania’s roommate at the time, Matthew Atanian, described her routine as “closer to what you’d expect from a wealthy divorcée than a young model.” “When Melania first arrived in New York at twenty-six, ‘she didn’t go out to dance clubs; she’d go to Harry Cipriani for dinner at ten and be home by one,’” Wolkoff recalled. “Men she would go out with tended to be wealthier, the industrious, European type. They were Italians, playboys. But they’d go out for dinner and she’d be home before [I] was.” Wolkoff makes one thing clear: “Melania has never been much of a party girl.” She dated, of course—before Donald. “It’s been reported that Melania had dated a Slovenian while in college. I’m only aware of a previous boyfriend in Paris or Milan,” Wolkoff adds. And it’s that elusive pre-Trump chapter that another voice now helps fill in. Melania Trump’s former boyfriend, Jure Zorcic, once spoke to ABC News and painted a picture that supports much of what Wolkoff says. According to Zorcic, Melania was never the kind of woman to follow the crowd or fit neatly into a box. “She was not a typical Slovenian girl,” he told the outlet. And from the sound of it, she didn’t want to be. He further said, “She wanted to live abroad, in Italy, France, a life of fashion. She was very fashionable.” Melania on Donald: “He’s a family man. He loves his family.” (Trump cheated on Melania with a p0rn star while Melania was home with infant son Barron) pic.twitter.com/47lgm5VFJh — Republicans against Trump (@RpsAgainstTrump) September 26, 2024 His remark went on. “But there were no talks about going the U.S: “I think it was very far from our minds at that time,” he said. “We met each other like in a movie,” said Zorcic. “It was a hot summer day, in between wars in Slovenia [in 1991]. It was the beginning of a new political era for us, the city was empty, blocked by the army.” From what Zorcic said next, its evident that before she became First Lady, before the couture gowns and Secret Service escort, Melania was the kind of woman who could stop traffic, or at least, make a man on a motorbike hit the brakes. “I was on my motorbike, and she has been walking down a street. As I passed by her, I had a moment and thought, ‘Wow, who is this girl? She is so beautiful, I must turn back and follow her.'” He did. They started talking, and before long, he took her for coffee. Sometimes, destiny is written in the stars Did you know that in 1993, at just 23 years old, Melania Knauss now Melania Trump, starred in a commercial in Slovenia 🇸🇮 as a model, where she portrayed, with all the hallmarks, a President of the United States?pic.twitter.com/c7EZKVXoH8 — Mambo Italiano (@mamboitaliano__) January 24, 2025 What followed was a short but memorable relationship, one that included sun-soaked summer days on the Croatian coast with friends. “It was a bit of shock when I met her,” Zorcic admitted. “She is very special, that’s the truth.” His memories are tinged with admiration. “I was impressed by her beauty from the very first moment. She was very nicely dressed, and her behavior was classy,” he said. “She was tall, had long hair across her face—I could hardly see her eyes—such style!” On the day they met, Melania was dressed head to toe in leather. Zorcic still remembers the outfit, calling it “the most fashionable piece” he’d ever seen. But Melania didn’t stay long. She left Slovenia unexpectedly, setting her sights on international modeling. She lived in Paris and Milan for a few years before crossing the Atlantic to chase a new opportunity. “She told me she had an offer with a hair care company, for a campaign—that’s why she went,” Zorcic explained. They reconnected in 2000, this time in New York. To Zorcic’s surprise, Melania greeted him in English, not Slovenian. “I asked her: did you forget that you are Slovenian?” he recalled. But Melania had made up her mind, her future was no longer tied to her homeland. “She told me she spent her time travelling between New York and Fort Lauderdale in Florida and that she would never go back to Slovenia.” Just five years later, she married Donald Trump. Talking about it, Zorcic said simply, “I think her marriage to Trump was fate. Nobody believed 20 years ago that she would live at the top of the world, on Fifth Avenue in Trump Tower—even her.”