Inside Donald & Melania Trump's First Encounter, Short-Term Breakup & His Proposal with a 12-Carat Diamond Ring

What started as an unexpected encounter at a Fashion Week party for the future President and First Lady of the United States would soon unravel into a story marked by hesitation, separation, and an unforgettable proposal under the Met Gala lights.

Melania Knauss, a Slovenian-born model who would later become Melania Trump and the First Lady of the United States, first met now-President Donald Trump in 1998 at a New York Fashion Week party hosted by Italian entrepreneur Paolo Zampolli.

Donald, then a 52-year-old father of four and recently separated from his second wife, Marla Maples, arrived at the event with a date but quickly shifted his attention to the then-model.

"He wanted my number, but he was with a date, so of course I didn't give it to him," Melania recalled in an interview with Harper's Bazaar. "I said, 'I am not giving you my number; you give me yours, and I will call you.' I wanted to see what kind of number he would give me—if it was a business number, what is this? I'm not doing business with you."

Donald gave her all his numbers, and Melania waited a week before calling, seeing as he was on a date with someone when they met. She later explained to GQ, "I'm not starstruck. We had a great connection, we had great chemistry, but I was not starstruck. And maybe he noticed that."

On "Larry King Live," Melania confirmed their first meeting, saying, "We met in New York [sic],1998. It was a Fashion Week — September 1998 [...] We were at the same party and that's how we met."

Donald added with a laugh, saying, "I was actually supposed to meet somebody else, and it was this great supermodel sitting next to Melania […] I said, 'Forget about her, who's the one on the left?'"

A Short-Lived Breakup

Despite the early spark, the relationship was not without turbulence. The couple split briefly, with Donald himself confirming the breakup to The New York Times in 2000. "Melania is an amazing woman, a terrific woman, a great woman, and she will be missed," he said at the time.

According to photographer Matthew Atanian, who was Melania's roommate in New York, the model initially had doubts about Donald. He told GQ:

"She had some trust issues with him at the beginning. She was telling me that she wouldn't have it; he was back to his old ways. She kept her apartment to have her own space because of this. Within six months, however, the two reconciled and continued dating steadily."

The Proposal at the Met Gala

By 2004, Donald was ready to propose. He chose the Met Gala — the prestigious "Dangerous Liaisons: Fashion and Furniture in the 18th Century" Costume Institute gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art — as the setting.

Donald presented Melania with a flawless, 12-carat emerald-cut diamond ring worth a staggering $2 million. The platinum-set ring, accented with tapered baguette diamonds, took her breath away. "It was a great surprise. We are very happy together," Melania told the New York Post.

On "Larry King Live," Donald described the proposal more casually, "We were together five years. We literally have never had an argument. We're just compatible, we get along. And I just said, 'You know what, it's time' and it wasn't a big deal [sic]."

Melania added that she loved the planning process for their elaborate wedding and wasn't nervous at all. When asked about the ring, Donald confirmed, "Yes, I picked it," with his wife agreeing, before Donald noted they shared similar tastes.

Ironically, in 2017, Vogue editor Anna Wintour revealed on "The Late Late Show with James Corden" that Donald would never again be invited to the Met Gala, where he had once proposed. "Donald Trump," she answered bluntly when asked who was permanently banned from the celebrated event.

Married Life and Family

The couple married in Palm Beach in 2005 at Donald's Mar-a-Lago estate, with Melania wearing a Christian Dior gown that required more than 1,000 hours of craftsmanship. Reflecting on their union, Donald told Larry that marriage felt "so natural," adding, "I didn't feel different, and I wasn't nervous, and she wasn't very nervous. We just knew what we were getting into [sic]."

Melania embraced her new role, proudly taking Donald's last name, explaining, "I'm kind of old-fashioned in that way that you take the name of the husband," and adding that her parents adored him. She also revealed on the same program that she and Donald hoped to have children together.

Welcoming Barron William Trump

A year later, in March 2006, their son Barron William Trump was born in New York. "Melania loves taking care of the baby," Donald told People at the time. "If we have more, it will be terrific." Barron's nursery took up an entire floor above his parents' bedroom. The baby's nursery was also complete with a kitchen, living room, and quarters for both his nanny and mother.

From their unexpected first encounter at a Manhattan fashion party, through a brief breakup, to a $2 million Met Gala proposal, Donald and Melania's love story unfolded with the same mix of glamor, spectacle, and resilience that has defined much of the President's public life.