Melania gets mixed reviews
Slovenia divided on Mrs. Trump
In April, the Slovenian town of Sevnica appeared to be ready to split from the rest of the country — and it was all thanks to Melania Trump.
Sevnica, right in the centre of Slovenia, with a population of 5,000, is her hometown. When the mayor announced on television that he would turn the local castle into an American embassy and erect a sculpture of Melania should her husband become U.S. president, some residents were so excited they might not have realized it was an April Fools’ Day joke.
But although the mayor’s proposal was mockery, there is an unmistakable divide between Sevnica and the rest of Slovenia, where concern about Melania’s impact on the country’s reputation is growing.
When she delivered a speech at the Republican National Convention that borrowed from one given eight years ago by Michelle Obama, people across Slovenia reacted with anger and ridicule.
“I doubt Slovenia can be proud of her,” said Katja Kobentar, 34, a corporal in the Slovenian army. But the exception was Sevnica, where residents continue to express admiration.
Like Melania, Nataša Pinoza was born in the town. She was named Miss Universe Slovenia in 2006, when she met her for the first time. Asked about the plagiarism allegation, Pinoza said: “I might be a little bit disappointed, but I can’t comment.”
Hours later, she called back to make sure that those comments had been understood “in a positive way.”
As foreign reporters have started to come to Sevnica and ask questions, residents want to make sure they give the right answers — mostly the ones that will keep the Trump family happy.
The first milestone in the town’s modern history was when it was connected to the country’s railway network in the 19th century. For much of the following 150 years, Sevnica was primarily known for red wine and dry sausages, a local delicacy.
But now some residents believe a new era has begun: The second milestone could become the fact Melania was born here. “Melania Trump put the name of our town on the map of the world,” said Mayor Srecko Ocvirk.
Fashion photographer Stane Jerko, 79, discovered her in the country’s capital, Ljubljana, in 1987. He believes that the criticism of her speech has been disproportionate: “I think that Melania would be criticized regardless of what she would have said in that speech. It comes along with the job.”
Vesna Mikolic, a professor of linguistics in Koper, said she felt sorry for Melania amid the plagiarism allegations. “On the other hand, this is a great promotion for (Donald) Trump — who knows, maybe the campaign staff did this on purpose.”
After the speech, Donald Trump himself suggested this, when he tweeted: “Good news is Melania’s speech got more publicity than any in the history of politics especially if you believe that all press is good press!”
That might be especially true in Slovenia where researchers say that, regardless of their political convictions, people are unlikely to condemn plagiarism as harshly as many Americans.
“For decades, plagiarism has been a common practice in Slovenia as well as in other Eastern European countries, where the educational system has been focused on students memorizing the material from the textbooks, rather than developing their own critical thinking about the material,” said Tanja Porcnik, president of Slovenia’s Visio Policy Institute.
Despite this and the fact that a campaign staffer has acknowledged she had a role in writing the controversial part of the speech, some Slovenians said they were increasingly angry at Melania.
“I think Melania is a very ambitious woman, full of herself, who used the opportunity that was presented to her with both hands,” said Dusan Trusnovec, 58, a social activist.
“I’ve read that one writer from the U.S. said that it must have been pretty bad in Slovenia if she found it better being with Trump. Statements like that may make people from the U.S. think Slovenia is a very bad country,” Trusnovec added, reflecting concerns recent news reports could hurt the country’s international reputation.
Magda Pasarit, a 58-yearold retiree, agreed: “I would much appreciate it if she would be with someone else, someone more presentable, not Trump.”