Melania Trump Reveals the Unexpected Childhood Hobby She Shared With Her Father

For years, First Lady Melania Trump has remained notably private about her childhood, rarely offering detailed glimpses into the life she lived before becoming one of the most recognizable women in America.

But during a rare live interview at the Freedom 250 Grand Prix in Washington, D.C., Melania offered a surprisingly personal look back at her early years in Slovenia — and revealed that her passion for automobiles began long before she ever stepped into the White House.

Speaking with Fox Sports’ Jamie Little during the August 23 IndyCar event, Melania recalled how her father, Viktor Knavs, introduced her to the world of racing and automobiles while she was growing up in Sevnica, Slovenia.

“When I was growing up, my father introduced me to races and to race cars,” Melania said.

What came next offered an unexpected glimpse into the family life behind her polished public image.

According to Melania, her father owned several remarkable automobiles, including a Maserati, Cougar, Mustang and Mercedes. Rather than simply watching from the sidelines, Melania said her father helped her understand the cars themselves — from their appearance and design to the mechanics and, of course, the thrill of speed.

“He introduced me to the design of cars, and the mechanics, and also the speed,” she explained.

For Melania, it was more than simply an interest in expensive automobiles. It became a shared experience with her father and a childhood memory that stayed with her decades later.

Her comments also help explain why she appeared particularly enthusiastic while attending the Freedom 250 Grand Prix. The Washington event, held around the National Mall as part of the celebrations surrounding America’s 250th anniversary, marked a major moment for IndyCar racing in the nation’s capital.

Melania and President Donald Trump attended the event, where they were seen greeting drivers and taking part in the festivities.

The connection between Melania and cars goes back much further than her life in America.

She was born Melanija Knavs in 1970 and grew up in Sevnica, a small Slovenian town that was then part of Yugoslavia. Her father had a professional connection to automobiles, working first as a chauffeur and later as a car salesman.

That environment appears to have given young Melania an unusual introduction to the world of cars. Instead of being merely fascinated by how they looked, she became interested in the details behind them — their design, mechanics and performance.

The memory is especially striking because it reveals another side of a woman more commonly associated with fashion, architecture, luxury and public life.

Melania has previously described her childhood in Slovenia as happy and full of family memories. Older accounts of her early life also describe a household where her father had a strong appreciation for automobiles, including a ritual of carefully washing his Mercedes.

Now, decades later, that childhood fascination remains part of Melania’s story.

Standing beside an IndyCar track in Washington, she wasn’t simply watching a modern racing spectacle. For a moment, she was remembering the little girl in Slovenia who discovered the excitement of racing alongside her father.

And perhaps that is what made her comments so memorable: behind the First Lady, the fashion icon and the public figure was a daughter recalling one of the simple passions she shared with her dad.

Her love of cars, it turns out, didn’t begin in Washington.

It began at home, in Slovenia, with her father.