Melania Trump: This is how the former supermodel first met Donald Trump

Melania and Donald Trump met at a party in New York City in 1998. A successful 28-year-old model from Slovenia and a 52-year-old businessman seemed like a perfect match but she wasn't easily persuaded.

Not impressed with his reputation as a 'ladies’ man', the future First Lady wasn't in a rush to date the millionaire and took precautions.

25 long years and one term as US President and First Lady later, they are still one of the most popular couples in the world. Speculations about the state of their marriage regularly make headlines, while Melania’s relationship with her only son Barron is dissected in the international press one too many times.

Donald Trump is currently fighting several lawsuits against him following the accusations of various sex-related crimes.

While people carefully watch Melania Trump’s every move to understand whether she is planning to stay by her husband’s side through thick and thin, here are some romantic details of their first ever encounter.

Donald Trump sent his date to the ladies' room

Donald Trump was accompanied by his date when he first saw model Melania then-Knauss. As his heart got set on the Slovenian beauty, the situation turned a little awkward that evening.

The businessman-turned-politician later admitted that he had to do a trick to secure some alone time with his love interest. He sent his date to the ladies' room so he could approach the model and ask for her number.

Melania Trump seemed impressed with the trick as she later said in an interview with People Magazine:

I was like, 'Oh what a sneaky way!'

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Melania refused to give Donald Trump her number

As Donald Trump’s reputation as a New York heartthrob preceded him, Melania wasn’t in a rush to give him her phone number.

The businessman recalled his first impression of the former US First Lady:

I saw Melania and I said, 'Who is that?' She was a very successful model. She was terrific.

But she was hardly impressed as she recalled:

I had heard he was a ladies' man, and so I said, 'I'm not one of the ladies.’

When asked to give her phone number by Donald Trump, Melania suggested she’d write down his details instead.

She reportedly believed that you can tell a lot about a man's intentions by the number he gives you - whether it's his office number or personal. She told GQ in an interview in 2016:

I wanted to see what his intention is.

It tells you a lot from the man what kind of number he gives you. He gave me all of his numbers.

According to the couple, they talked for ‘the whole evening’ on their first date and began dating the same year. They married in 2005, and she gave birth to their son Barron in 2006.

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Sources used:

- Mirror: 'How did Donald Trump meet wife Melania? President was on a date with another woman at the time'

- Mirror: 'If Donald Trump was President when wife Melania came to America she wouldn’t have been allowed in'

- GQ: Melania Trump on Her Rise, Her Family Secrets, and Her True Political Views: “Nobody Will Ever Know”