First lady Melania Trump hosted an intimate, 70-person screening of her upcoming documentary at the White House on Saturday.
She called Amazon’s $40 million documentary a “historic moment.”
In a Jan. 25 post on X, Melania shared a photo of herself addressing a large crowd gathered for the screening, presenting her new film, MELANIA.
Highlights
- Melania Trump hosted an exclusive 70-person White House screening of her $40M Amazon-backed documentary, calling it a “historic moment.”
- The film covers the first 20 days of 2025, documenting the Trump family’s return to the presidency with unseen footage.
- Director Brett Ratner, whose career faced serious allegations, filmed the documentary while living at Mar-a-Lago.
Melania Trump hosted a screening of her upcoming documentary
Image credits: Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images
“I am deeply humbled to have been surrounded by an inspiring room of friends, family, and cultural iconoclasts at the White House last night. Each of these individuals brought their unique vision to the world, making a lasting impression,” she wrote.
“Our personal stories endure time and serve as a reminder of our mutual obligation to one another. It was an honor to present my new film, MELANIA, ahead of its global launch,” Trump added.
Image credits: Melania Trump/X
The documentary follows the First Lady’s journey during the first 20 days of 2025, leading up to President Donald Trump’s second term. Directed by Brett Ratner, the film features moments never-before-seen, tracking the family's transition back to the presidency and Trump’s inauguration.
Image credits: Marc Beckman/X
In a social media video posted by Melania Trump, the White House’s East Room can be seen being transformed for the event, with guests being welcomed by a military band playing “Melania’s Waltz.” The tune was composed for the documentary by Hollywood composer Tony Neiman.
In one shot, Melania and Donald Trump can be seen stepping into the theater as the audience applauds. In another, Melania poses for the camera in front of a white wall with her name inscribed on it in large black letters.
Image credits: Brett Ratner
The screening was the debut of the movie, which only the director, Melania, and a small number of associates had seen before Sunday. The Hollywood Reporter claimed that Ratner spent months living at Mar-a-Lago during the film’s shooting.
The documentary is Ratner’s first major movie since he was accused of sexual misconduct and harassment almost a decade ago. His name and photograph also appeared in the investigation files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, posing with Epstein’s associate, Jean-Luc Brune.
Guests in attendance included the Trumps’ son, Barron, Queen Rania of Jordan, Apple CEO Tim Cook, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy, former boxer Mike Tyson, Zoom CEO Eric Yuan, New York Stock Exchange CEO Lynn Martin, AMD CEO Lisa Su, and Erika Kirk.
Image credits: Brett Ratner
One guest told the Hollywood Reporter that the attendees were given black-and-white popcorn boxes, framed collectible screening tickets, and “take-home cookies” stamped with Melania Trump’s name.
Conservative influencer Link Lauren posted a photo of himself with the Trumps, captioned, “MELANIA is incredible. As a student of history, I’ve never seen anything like it. It’s not a documentary; it’s a film that takes you on a cinematic journey.”
Image credits: Brett Ratner
Melania will be screened with a red-carpet premiere at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on Thursday evening, a day before the official release on January 30. Entertainment reporter Rob Shuter wrote in a Substack that ticket sales are “dismal,” with theaters expected to be “practically empty.”
“In New York, only a handful of seats have been booked. Palm Beach is no better. Even in Trump country, theaters are practically empty,” Shuter wrote, citing an anonymous source.
The attendees faced intense scrutiny and criticism for their presence at the event, which took place on the same day federal agents shot and killed Alex Pretti in Minneapolis.
“Today DHS assassinated a VA nurse in the street, Bondi is attempting to extort voter files, and half the country is bracing on the eve of a potentially crippling ice storm with FEMA gutted. So what is the President up to? Having a movie night at the White House. He’s unfit,” wrote Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
Trump, who has yet to comment on his wife’s film after the screening, had told reporters aboard Air Force One on Jan. 11 that he had seen “pieces of it” so far that had impressed him.
“I’ve seen pieces of it, it’s incredible,” he had said at the time. “I think it's going to do very — you know, she did a book, and the book was a big No. 1 bestseller, and this is a movie, and it seems to be captivating a lot of people’s attention.”
CNN reported over the weekend that Amazon cut a $40 million deal to produce Melania, and spent an additional $35 million marketing the film.
“We licensed the film for one reason and one reason only — because we think customers are going to love it,” an Amazon MGM Studios spokesperson told CNN.