Melania Trump: My Husband Is The Guy 'To Fight For You And Your Country'

CLEVELAND (CBSNewYork/AP) -- The wife of Donald Trump talked about the goodness of her husband's heart while giving the keynote address during the Republican National Convention Monday night.

Trump got a rousing ovation when he introduced his wife Melania to the stage, to the accompaniment of "We Are the Champions" by Queen.

"We're going to win. We're going to win so big," he said.

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Melania Trump, 46, had the delegates on their feet, telling the audience about how much her husband wants to make the United States better.

"If you want someone to fight for you and your country, he's the guy," she said. "He will never, ever give up and most importantly he will never, ever let you down."

She called her husband an "amazing leader" who is ready to go to work for this country.

"Donald is, and always has been, an amazing leader. Now he will go to work for you," Melania Trump said. "His achievements speak for themselves and his performance throughout the primary campaign proves he knows how to win."

The former model noted that her husband is kind, but it is not always noted.

"He's tough when he has to be, but he is also kind and fair and caring. This kindness is not always noted, but it is there for all to see. That is why I fell in love with him to begin with," she said.

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Melania Trump said the presumptive nominee is the only one who could deliver change.

"Our country is underperforming and needs new leadership. Leadership is also what the world needs," she said.

She opened up about when she became a citizen of the United States.

"On July 28, 2006, I was very proud to become a citizen of the United States, the greatest privilege on planet Earth," Melania Trump said.

She said her husband wants to help all people of different religions and races.

"Let's all come together in a national campaign like no other. The race will be hard fought all the way to November," she said.

She added that if she becomes first lady, her focus will be on helping women and children.

"We must do our best to ensure that every child can live in comfort and security with the best possible education. As a citizen of this great nation it is kindness, love and compassion for each other that will bring us together and keep us together," she said.

She concluded, "These are the values Donald and I will bring to the White House. My husband is ready to lead this great nation. He's ready to fight every day, to give our children a better future they deserve. Ladies and gentlemen, Donald J. Trump is ready to serve and lead this country as the next president of the United States."

Even as she largely avoided the spotlight prior to Monday, Mrs. Trump briefly became an issue in the race in March, when an anti-Trump super PAC released an ad with a risque photo of her from a GQ magazine photo shoot, showing her handcuffed to a briefcase, lying on a fur blanket.

"Meet Melania Trump. Your Next First Lady," the ad said.

Trump responded by re-tweeting side-by-side images of Texas Sen. Ted Cruz's wife, with an unflattering grimace, and Mrs. Trump in a gauzy, glamorous pose.

Mrs. Trump did not dwell on that controversy or any other Monday, but she did seek to counter Donald Trump's image as anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim. She insisted his campaign would represent "Christians and Jews and Muslims, it includes Hispanics and African Americans and Asians, and the poor and the middle class."

If Trump were to be elected president, Mrs. Trump would be the only first lady who is the third wife of a president and the first to be born and raised in a communist nation. She wouldn't be the first model -- Pat Nixon and Betty Ford both modeled, too. And Louisa Adams, who was born in England, was the first president's wife to be born in another country.

The glitter and glitz of being Donald Trump's wife is a far cry from the sleepy southeastern industrial town of Sevnica, where she was born in 1970 as Melanija Knavs. Her father was a car dealer while her mother worked in a textile factory. The family lived in apartment blocks overlooking a river and smoking factory chimneys.

She found an escape through modeling when she was spotted in the Slovenian capital by a photographer. At age 16, she took modeling jobs in Milan and Paris. She changed her name to Melania Knauss and settled in New York in 1996. Two years later, she met her future husband at a party in Manhattan.

CBS2's Marcia Kramer reported the theme of the night was "Making America Safe Again." Parents of those killed in terror attacks and former Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell were on the program, as was former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani.

Trump's flair for the unconventional was on display as he turned the podium to "Duck Dynasty" star Willie Robertson, soap opera star Antonio Sabato Jr., and former teen heart throb Scott Baio earlier in the night.

Donald Trump will accept the Republican nomination on Thursday.

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In:
• Republican National Convention
• Donald Trump
• Melania Trump