Melania Trump Passionately Kisses 9/11 Firefighter in Unearthed New York Magazine Cover

Regardless of your opinion about President-elect Donald Trump, there’s no denying that his wife, Melania Trump, knows how to command attention—though not always without controversy. One such instance resurfaced recently when the New York Post revisited a New York Magazine cover from 18 years ago, showcasing a very different chapter of Melania’s life. This was before she became Mrs. Trump, before motherhood, and well before stepping into the global spotlight as First Lady. The cover, created as a tribute to 9/11, depicted Melania honoring the firefighters in a bold and memorable gesture—a kiss shared with one of the city’s heroes.

In the wake of 9/11, first responders were hailed as national heroes, their bravery elevating them to rock star status. It was against this backdrop that a 2002 New York Magazine photoshoot sought to capture a moment of tribute, reminiscent of the iconic 1945 V-J Day kiss between a sailor and a nurse. At the time, Melania, a relatively lesser-known model, was selected to grace the cover of the Valentine’s Day Singles issue, as reported by the New York Post. In the image, the future First Lady is dressed in a thigh-length white coat paired with gleaming stiletto-heeled boots that reach her knees, as reported by the Daily Express.

The New York explains, “Recently, the journalist Matt Haber learned something that we at New York had forgotten. The female model we’d hired was a pretty young Slovenian named Melania Knauss, who had been dating a New York real-estate developer on and off for several years, and married him a couple of years after that." They added, “We did not, at the time, expect to be working with the future First Lady of the United States. But we were.” Firefighter Daniel T. Keane reflected on the memorable shoot, where he and Melania recreated Alfred Eisenstaedt’s iconic photograph capturing the jubilant kiss at the end of World War II.

Keane, now an FDNY battalion chief, recalled how they struck the pose hundreds of times, with Melania repeatedly pulling him close and delivering a big kiss for each shot. He said, “The person who was doing my hair and makeup, they said, ‘Do you know who that is?' I don’t know any models, I really wasn’t into the scene. And they said, ‘That’s Melania Knauss … That’s Donald Trump’s girlfriend.’ And I said, ‘Oh, okay.'” Melania's modeling career began when a Slovenian photographer found her when she was just 16 years old. She soon established the foundation for her global career by landing a contract with a prominent modeling agency in Milan.

She spent years building her modeling career in Paris and Milan before making her move to New York in 1996. Over time, she graced the covers of several high-profile magazines, including a controversial nude shoot for GQ in 2000, as reported by Newsweek. Later, the photo shoot caused a backlash on social media, but Melania stood up for herself. She defended the images in a promotional video for her book, Melania, highlighting the value of respecting our bodies and accepting art as a timeless form of self-expression. The famous nude photo shoot was also featured in the video.