Long before their White House years, both then and now, Donald and Melania Trump’s love story began in a Manhattan nightclub, with an unexpected twist. He was with another woman. She still turned him down.

Now, nearly three decades later, First Lady Melania Trump is opening up about that unforgettable first meeting in her new biography Melania, and she recently shared a glimpse of it with fans on social media.

“In that moment, I was the most important person in the world to him,” she writes.

A Chance Encounter During Fashion Week

According to Melania, it all started one night in September 1998, during New York Fashion Week. She had just returned from Paris, tired and ready to relax, when a friend called and invited her to a party at the iconic Kit Kat Club.

“Although I was tired, I accepted the invitation, how could I not, it was Fashion Week,” she recalls.

The venue was buzzing with models, designers, and celebrities. A black limousine picked her up. When she arrived, she spotted her friend waving to someone and turned to see a man walking toward her with an attractive blonde.

“‘I’m Donald Trump,’ he said. I recognized the name… but not much more than that.”

Trump struck up a conversation, asking about her life in New York, her travels, and her home country of Slovenia. While Melania assumed it was just small talk, especially since he was accompanied, she couldn’t ignore the focused attention he gave her.

“His eyes were full of curiosity and interest,” she writes. “I felt drawn to his magnetic energy.”

“You Give Me Your Number Instead”

When Trump’s companion briefly stepped away, he asked Melania for her number. She didn’t give in easily.

“I politely declined. He was a bit surprised. ‘You give me your number instead,’ I said.”

Trump called over his bodyguard, had him write his number on a card, and smiled as he handed it to her.

“‘Call me,’ he said.”

Melania tucked the card into her purse and left the next day for a Caribbean photo shoot, but she couldn’t stop thinking about him.

“His polished, professional appearance, witty conversation, and clear determination fascinated me.”

From Nightclub to the White House

Though they didn’t start dating immediately, that brief encounter sparked something. A year later, their relationship began. Melania, a 26-year-old model at the time, and Donald, a 52-year-old businessman and media figure, became an unexpected but captivating couple.

They moved in together in 2002, got engaged in 2004, and were married in 2005. Their son Barron was born in 2006 and the Trump family would go on to make history.

First as America’s First Family in 2017, and now again in 2025, Melania and Donald Trump’s story continues in the global spotlight. But as Melania’s new memoir reminds us, it all began with a night out, a confident ask, and a decision that would change everything.

“Being a wife and a mom is one of the most special gifts I’ve been given,” she writes. And now, as First Lady once again, Melania Trump is sharing where that journey truly began.