Melania Trump on Donald’s White House Dreams, Becoming the First Lady: 'It's a Long Road'

Melania Trump says that she doesn’t try to change Donald. (Getty Images)

One would think Melania Trump could barely get in a word edgewise when she’s home with Donald, but — in her first interview since her husband launched his controversial presidential bid — she insists she’s no shrinking violet.

“I’m my own person. I’m not a yes person. So I tell it as it is,” the model turned jewelry designer, who met Donald in 1998 and married him seven years later, told People magazine. “I tell my opinions and I was always like that. So I think he likes that."

While he might like that, he doesn’t always listen. "He is who he is,” said the 45-year-old mom of one. “Even if you give him advice, he will maybe take it in, but then he will do it the way he wants to do it. You cannot change a person. Let them be. Let them be the way they are.”

It’s no surprise that the political beliefs of the third Mrs. Trump, who was born in the former Yugoslavia and became a U.S. citizen in 2006, are in line with her husband’s. While she’s raising their 9-year-old son, Barron, to be bilingual (he speaks Slovenian), she told the magazine, “My opinion is that more languages you speak, better it is, but when you come to America, you speak English.” As for immigration reform, “I went through a whole long process [to become a citizen]. It didn’t even cross my mind to just stay here. I think people should follow the law.”

Though Melania is not picking out gold and mirrored décor — similar to what adorns their lavish 66th floor penthouse in the Trump Tower — for the White House just yet. “It’s a long road. I take it day by day,” she noted. “My husband has a lot of people cheering for him. We will see.”

For now, Melania is sticking to her routine, which revolves around her son, who appears on the magazine cover with his parents. “My husband is traveling all the time. Barron needs somebody as a parent, so I am with him all the time,” said Melania, whose hobbies the magazine lists as charity work (the American Red Cross is a favorite), exercise (tennis and Pilates), and reading magazines (especially fashion ones).

The Trumps on the cover of People magazine. (People)

There won’t be much time for thumbing through magazines if Melania becomes the first lady — her husband already has her platform picked out. “I could see her being very involved in women’s health issues,” Donald said about the woman who famously bragged that giving birth was “very, very easy.” He added, she “would be an amazing representative for our country… She’s an elegant person with a very big heart. She’s very calm and confident, very warm and very beautiful."

We already know that Melania, who initially wouldn’t give Donald her number (because he was dating someone else), would rival Jacqueline Kennedy when it comes to style, seeing as she wore a $100,000-plus wedding gown designed by the House of Christian Dior’s John Galliano at their 2005 wedding. Though we’d say her style isn’t very Jackie. The dress had 1,500 crystal rhinestones and pearls.

And, man, could she throw a party for dignitaries. Their star-studded wedding, which was held in a 17,000-square-foot ballroom built at Mar-a-Lago, Donald’s Palm Beach, Florida, resort was a million-dollar affair. Half of that was spent on flowers and caviar. Their wedding cake? It was a 50-pound orange Grand Marnier concoction.

As for the White House, let’s just say that it would need a posh makeover before the Trumps moved in. Melania redesigned their NYC pad to include her own spa, where she gets weekly manicures and other pampering. She told Allure in 2011 that the room was a necessity: "I need that for my busy schedule.” The entire home, which they recently opened to Refinery29 is over the top though, think: painted ceilings, tables, lots of marble, fountains, and golden cherubs. Even something as simple as a sitting room is very… Versailles.

She may be her own person, but they really do seem like two of a kind.