Melania Trump detailed her first meeting with now-husband Donald Trump in her new eponymous memoir, admitting the politician was on a date with another woman when he began flirting with her.
In the book, Melania explained that she was at a Fashion Week party in 1998 with a friend when the former president approached them — despite being accompanied by an “attractive blonde woman.”
“‘Hi. I’m Donald Trump,’ the man said when he reached my table. ‘Nice to meet you,’” Melania recalled, per an excerpt obtained by Variety.
Although the 54-year-old “recognized the name,” she knew nothing about the “Celebrity Apprentice” star, who “put his hand out to shake mine.”
Getty Images
via Getty Images
“His eyes filled with curiosity and interest, and, seizing the opportunity, he took the seat next to mine and started a conversation,” she wrote. “He asked me about my time in New York, my Slovenian home, and my world travels.”
While it was just a “brief encounter,” Melania said the pair shared “a moment of connection” that made “a lasting impression.”
“From the moment our conversation began, I was captivated by his charm and easygoing nature,” she wrote. “There was so much bustling activity around us, but his intent focus on our interaction made me feel like the center of his world.”
“It was a refreshing departure from the usual superficial small talk, and I found myself drawn to his magnetic energy.”
AP
However, she “initially dismissed [their] conversation as mere pleasantries” since Donald, 78, “was accompanied by a beautiful date” — until he wasn’t.
“When his companion left for a moment, he asked me for my phone number,” she wrote.
However, Melania “politely declined his request,” which left the politician “a little surprised.”
Instead, the model asked Donald to give her his number, which he happily obliged under one condition.
Getty Images
“’I’ll give you my number,’ he said, ‘if you promise to call me,’” she recalled.
The mother of one continued, “With a hand gesture, Donald called over his bodyguard. His big shoulders leaned in as he listened to him, before discreetly writing a note on a sleek business card. Donald took the card and handed it to me.”
While it’s unclear how long it took for Melania to fulfill her promise, the pair dated on and off, wed in 2005 and welcomed their son, Barron Trump, one year later.
Elsewhere in the book, the former first lady shared some insight into their relationship, admitting that she does not “align with all of Donald’s decisions” and opinions.
Specifically, the model made it clear that she fully supports women’s reproductive rights and disagrees with her husband’s stance on abortion.
“It is imperative to guarantee that women have autonomy in deciding their preference of having children, based on their own convictions, free from any intervention or pressure from the government,” she wrote in “Melania.”
“Why should anyone other than the woman herself have the power to determine what she does with her own body?” she added. “A woman’s fundamental right of individual liberty, to her own life, grants her the authority to terminate her pregnancy if she wishes.”