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Amalija Knavs became a US citizen in 2018.

Amalija Knavs, the mother of former US First Lady Melania Trump, died on Wednesday. She was 78. Her death was announced on Tuesday night by Mrs. Trump, the former first lady, on X. No cause was given. According to New York Times (NYT), Mrs Knavs was a factory worker in Slovenia before becoming a US citizen. During a New Year’s Eve party at Mar-a-Lago, her son-in-law and former US President Donald Trump had said that Mrs Knavs was “very ill”.

“It is with deep sadness that I announce the passing of my beloved mother, Amalija,” Melania Trump, 53, wrote on X, describing her as “a strong woman who always carried herself with grace, warmth, and dignity.”

It is with deep sadness that I announce the passing of my beloved mother, Amalija.

Amalija Knavs was a strong woman who always carried herself with grace, warmth, and dignity. She was entirely devoted to her husband, daughters, grandson, and son-in-law. We will miss her beyond…

— MELANIA TRUMP (@MELANIATRUMP) January 10, 2024

“She was entirely devoted to her husband, daughters, grandson, and son-in-law. We will miss her beyond measure and continue to honour and love her legacy,” she added.

Donald Trump too paid tributes to Mrs Knavs on Truth Social.

“This is a very sad night for the entire Trump family!!!. Melania’s great and beautiful mother, Amalija, has just gone to a beautiful place in the sky. She was an incredible woman, and will be missed far beyond words!” he said.

NYT said Mrs Knavs and her husband Viktor became naturalised US citizens in August 2018. Melania Trump was their sponsor.

They were sworn in through a family-based immigration system that the former president often condemned when he was in office.

Her citizenship had prompted critical responses from Donal Trump’s opponents. “I guess when it’s Melania’s Family, it’s ‘family reunification’ and should be applauded. Everybody else, it’s ‘chain migration’ and must be stopped,” Ana Navarro-Cardenas, a Republican strategist, had said on Twitter (now known as X).

NBC News said Mrs Knaves and her husband raised Melania in a rural Slovenian town before she began modelling and moved to New York in 1996. She met and married Donald Trump in New York.