Everything That Happens in the Melania Trump Documentary

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A new documentary about First Lady Melania Trump, simply titled Melania, is now playing in theaters. It’s a surprisingly expensive film for a documentary – Melania Trump herself produced it, and Amazon MGM Studios bought it for $40 million, four times the usual cost. Amazon has also spent around $35 million on marketing, but has been careful about who sees it; TIME magazine didn’t receive a preview copy, and major news outlets weren’t invited to the premiere.

The new Trump Kennedy Center held its premiere on Thursday night at the Opera House, drawing several members of the Trump Administration, including Pete Hegseth (Secretary of War), Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (Secretary of Health and Human Services), Lee Zeldin (EPA Administrator), and Speaker of the House Mike Johnson. According to Variety, the President answered questions on the red carpet, while the First Lady took photos. The film marks a return for director Brett Ratner, who faced sexual misconduct allegations in 2017 (which he denies), and is projected to earn $3 to $5 million during its opening weekend.

Compared to most celebrity documentaries, Melania doesn’t offer any shocking new information. Instead, it provides a quick look at a specific period in her life and briefly explores topics related to her current position.

Here’s what happens in Melania. 

Preparing for inauguration

The movie covers the 20 days before President Trump’s inauguration on January 20, 2025, including the inauguration day itself. It opens with intimate shots of the First Lady – her shoes, her travels by car and private jet – before showing her meeting with her fashion designer, Hervé Pierre, at Trump Tower. In a voiceover, she explains her desire to share her life with the American public.

One of the first things she did was try on a stylish black jacket for the inauguration, offering detailed suggestions for minor improvements. Her keen eye for fashion comes from her early ambition to be a model, which led her to leave her native Slovenia (formerly part of Yugoslavia) for Italy as a young woman. “I appreciate the effort that goes into creating classic designs,” she observed. Throughout the film, she often mentions being an immigrant and her “home country,” but she doesn’t specify which one.

Melania Trump shares that her passion for fashion comes from her mother, Amalija Knavs, a clothing designer. She learned from her mother that “beauty comes from dedication, and even the smallest detail matters.” The documentary shows Trump nearing the one-year anniversary of her mother’s death, which occurred on January 9, 2024. On that day, she and the President attended Jimmy Carter’s funeral, an event she found deeply emotional.

Meetings and phone calls

Afterward, back in her office, Melania Trump had a video call with Brigitte Macron, the First Lady of France. Notably, Mrs. Macron’s laptop was resting on a book about Melania Trump herself. They talked about Fostering the Future, Mrs. Trump’s program that provides college scholarships for children in foster care. She also shared her plans to expand her Be Best campaign during her husband’s next term, focusing on preventing cyberbullying and supporting young people’s mental health. She also met with Queen Rania of Jordan, and the two discussed their shared interest in charitable work.

The film features a meeting with Aviva Siegel, a hostage released by Hamas after being kidnapped on October 7, 2023. At the time, she was actively campaigning for the release of her husband, Keith, who remained captive. Former First Lady Melania Trump offered her condolences and stated that securing the hostages’ release was a key concern. She later reflected that these encounters are unforgettable and stay with you forever. The film concludes by sharing that Keith Siegel was eventually freed in February 2025.

In a separate part of the recording, Hayley Harrison, Melania Trump’s chief of staff, receives a call about a reporter asking questions regarding the documentary’s production with Amazon. Following the call, Ratner asks Harrison, “Can you trust people in Hollywood?”

“Absolutely not,” Harrison responds. Neither Amazon nor the documentary itself are mentioned again.

Mar-A-Lago, Barron, and more inauguration prep

In the movie, the First Lady takes a short break at Mar-A-Lago. She shares that Michael Jackson is her favorite musician and “Billie Jean” is her favorite song. She and Ratner enjoy singing along when it plays on the radio. She describes the Florida estate as a relaxing escape and her last opportunity for peace before the inauguration.

While Trump often talks about how grand the inauguration will be, we don’t see much of the actual preparations. We get a glimpse of the invitations—they’re red—but that’s about it.

President and First Lady Trump were reviewing security plans for the inauguration, discussing potential places to stop along the route. Melania Trump expressed particular concern for their safety, likely referencing the July 2024 assassination attempt in Pennsylvania and recent events.

The film frequently shows Trump expressing her pride in her son, Barron, who makes a significant appearance in the final scenes, though he doesn’t speak. We also see most of Trump’s family, Melania’s father, and prominent figures like Apple’s Tim Cook and Jeff Bezos. Bezos appears at a lavish dinner held the night before the inauguration to honor the campaign’s major donors.

The day arrives with fanfare

Inauguration Day arrived, and the Biden family began moving their belongings into the White House. The First Lady mentioned that the Trumps couldn’t remove their possessions until after the new President was officially sworn in. The day was filled with events, culminating in several celebratory balls. During the swearing-in ceremony, the First Lady reflected on feeling the significance of the moment, connecting it to her own experience as an immigrant and emphasizing our shared humanity.

That evening, she and President Trump celebrated the beginning of his second term in office. The First Lady enjoyed the song “YMCA,” dancing and smiling while waving her arms. They returned to the White House around 2 a.m., excited to begin President Trump’s next four years.

Honestly, the whole thing ends with her doing a voiceover saying how fired up she is to serve the country. Then she promises to keep moving forward with both intention and, you know, a little flair. But the really interesting part? As the credits roll, they just start listing all these amazing things she actually did as First Lady – stuff the movie didn’t even touch on! It felt a little like they saved all the best stuff for last.

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2026-01-31 02:07