Trump, Entertainment Executives Roll Out Red Carpet for First Lady’s $40 Million Documentary, ‘Melania’

President Trump and studio executives are doing everything in their power to market first lady Melania Trump’s new documentary, “Melania,” ahead of its release on Friday. The production companies behind the film are spending tens of millions of dollars to promote the film, while the president hosts exclusive screenings to gin up interest among his supporters. The project was announced shortly after Mr. Trump won the 2024 election, and included a multi-million dollar payment to the incoming first lady. Amazon MGM Studios produced the movie, and Amazon itself has secured streaming rights, though a date for that release has not yet been set. Amazon paid $40 million to license the movie, and included in that deal is the development of a follow-up docuseries about the first lady.As executive producer of the project, Ms. Trump was handed full editorial control over the film’s content. The film’s director is Bret Ratner, who directed the “Rush Hour” franchise with Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan that Mr. Trump reportedly lobbied Paramount executives to revive. “Amazon MGM Studios’ film MELANIA offers unprecedented access to the 20 days leading up to the 2025 Presidential Inauguration — through the eyes of the First Lady herself. Step inside Melania Trump’s world as she orchestrates inauguration plans, navigates the complexities of the White House transition, and moves her family back to the Nation’s Capital,” a description of the film on Amazon’s website states. A one-minute trailer of the movie cuts together clips of Ms. Trump at her husband’s Mar-a-Lago club, inside the White House residence’s private kitchen with the president on inauguration night, and working with fashion designers. Queen Rania of Jordan also makes an appearance, shown meeting privately with the first lady during the filming of the documentary. One clip shows Mr. Trump working on a speech with his team, focused on the issue of global peace. As he is practicing the speech, Mr. Trump describes himself as a “peacemaker,” only for his wife to cut in and say: “Peacemaker and unifier.”“Everyone wants to know. So, here it is,” Mrs. Trump says in the trailer. According to the Hollywood Reporter, at the White House on Saturday, Mr. Trump hosted Amazon chief executive Andy Jassy, Apple chief executive Tim Cook, and retired heavyweight boxer Mike Tyson, among others, for an early screening of the picture. On Thursday, the film will be screened at the Kennedy Center one day before its theatrical release. The president himself has been publicly promoting the movie, issuing a relatively rare post on X to urge people to go see the film. On X, the president has nearly 110 million followers, compared to just 11 million on his more active Truth Social account. In 2025, Mr. Trump posted on X just about 100 times, compared to more than 6,000 messages posted to Truth Social, according to WBALTV’s Get the Facts Data Team. The $40 million licensing deal, which will result in Mrs. Trump receiving a multi-million paycheck, is just one part of the documentary’s significant budget. According to Puck, the production team is spending $35 million on marketing alone.

Trump, Entertainment Executives Roll Out Red Carpet for First Lady’s $40 Million Documentary, ‘Melania’

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