Melania Trump gets nostalgic at DC Grand Prix, recalls dad's Maserati and love of speed

WASHINGTON, DC: First Lady Melania Trump took a trip down memory lane while attending the IndyCar Freedom 250 Grand Prix in Washington, DC, on Sunday, August 23, recalling how her father introduced her to racing and fast cars when she was growing up in Slovenia.

During a live conversation with Fox Sports commentator Jamie Little, Melania spoke warmly about her childhood fascination with cars, remembering her father’s cars and the lessons he gave her about their design, mechanics, and speed.

FLOTUS gets nostalgic at Grand Prix

Melania’s love of racing, she explained, goes back to her childhood, well before her years in the White House or appearances at high-profile Washington events.

“It was exciting. When I was growing up, my father introduced me to races and race cars,” she told Little.

She recalled some of the cars he owned, including a “Maserati, Mustang, Mercedes.”

Yet the memories went beyond the vehicles themselves.

Melania said her father also gave her an appreciation for how cars were built and operated.

“He introduced me to the design of cars. And the mechanics, and the speed, and I loved every minute of it,” she said.

She made the remarks while taking in the inaugural IndyCar race through the streets of the nation’s capital.

The Freedom 250 Grand Prix was organized as part of the celebrations for America’s 250th anniversary, transforming sections of downtown Washington into a temporary racetrack.

Melania called the event “incredible” and emphasized that her enthusiasm was genuine, rather than simply coming from attending alongside the president.

Melania Trump's journey from Slovenia to the White House

Melania was born in Novo Mesto, Slovenia, in 1970 and grew up in Sevnica, a small town along the Sava River. 

Her father, Viktor Knavs, worked in the automotive business and was a car salesman and dealer, while her mother, Amalija, worked as a patternmaker at a children's clothing factory.

Cars were therefore a natural part of Melania's childhood.

Accounts of her early years describe Viktor as someone deeply interested in automobiles, while Melania herself has now recalled being taken to races and being introduced to the different aspects of cars.

That makes her comments about the Maserati, Mustang, and Mercedes particularly fitting. 

Melania also developed an early interest in design.

She eventually attended the Secondary School of Design and Photography in Ljubljana before pursuing modeling, first in Europe and later in the United States.