How Slovenia Really Feels About Melania Trump

The small town of Sevnica was a largely forgotten medieval dot in Central Slovenia until, unfortunately, it became known for World War Two atrocities. During its postwar years as a communist country, it was a humble furniture-making center. As far as tourist destinations go, it boasted an impressive centuries-old castle. But in 2016, everything changed. When Donald Trump became president of the United States, the quiet, modest town became a worldwide attraction as the birthplace of First Lady Melania Trump.

Born Melanija Knavs, the First Lady left Sevnica when she was just a teen to live in the capital city of Ljubljana, where she became a model. From there, she started taking work-related trips to Milan, Paris, and then to New York where she met Donald Trump in 1998. The young model dated Trump for a year, broke it off, and later resumed their relationship. Finally in 2004, Trump proposed with a massive diamond ring.

A lot has changed since then and it's been quite some time since the former Melania Knauss has visited her hometown. Some Slovenians say they feel like the First Lady may have forgotten the country of her birth. Still, Sevnica hasn't forgotten about their most famous daughter.

Local resident Roberto Gorenc told ABC in 2016…

"We're a small country so everybody who succeeds in the big world is a story of success."

After Trump's winning bid for the White House, Sevnica saw an explosion of Melania-branded merchandise and food items. Several bakers started offering Melania-themed cakes and other desserts. One of these bakers, Nusa Vidmar, told VOA in 2016…

"We were very proud of Melania's success...She used to be one of us and we are really happy for her...We wanted to have a beautiful cake like she is."

Then there's the First Lady Apple Pie, decorated with the letter "M" and an American flag. Maya Popadic, who created the pastry, told USA Today...

"It's just incredible to me that a simple girl from Sevnica could make it so far."

Four enterprising local winemakers even got together to release a wine made from a local grape variety in her honor. The wine is called "First Lady" and is sold at Sevnica Castle — the first 300 bottles sold out in just three days. According to Decanter, a bottle of First Lady wine is priced at just under 28 Euros, which is twice as much as the shop's other wines made with the same grape variety.

In addition to wine, locals were selling jars of Melania-themed honey, pancakes with gold dust, soap, hand cream, dark chocolate, and endless other items. The tourism bureau even organized a "Melania" tour which shows off all the places she might have gone when she lived there.

While the First Lady inadvertently created Melania the cottage industry for Sevnica, Melania and Team Trump decided they needed to crack down on those who might use her image and name in a way she didn't particularly like. The First Lady then retained a legal firm in Ljubljana so that foods and other local products would no longer be named after her or be branded with her image.

The firm's director, Natasa Pirc Musar told ABC that…

"We just want to draw public attention to the fact that the words Trump, Melania, and Melania Trump are protected trademarks...We issued a press release and sent it to all Slovenian media. Now we count on people's prudence to stop the practice."

The lawyer said at the time that she was only concerned about specific items.

"A huge billboard in Sevnica with Melania's picture, erected by a private web company for commercial purposes, is problematic."

Pirc Musar also stated that she was less concerned about pastries.

"[It's] not a problem. No photo or last name is attached to it. We personally tasted it and it's very good."

The First Lady's legal crackdown might seem harsh to some but it didn't appear to lessen the love for her in Sevnica. A year after the warnings were issued, another baker, Franja Krajnc told USA Today…

"We are very proud of her...There is only one First Lady and she has said that she is teaching her son Barron some Slovenian. Her husband, though, he is too aggressive."

Watch the video to see How Slovenia Really Feels About Melania Trump!

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