Melania Trump is showcasing herself on a different kind of world stage with the release of the trailer for her upcoming documentary film, simply titled: MELANIA.
The film, slated for a January 30 theatrical release, was licensed by Amazon MGM Studios as part of a $40 million deal. It follows the 55-year-old in the days leading up to her husband Donald Trump’s second inauguration.
While the preview for it is only a minute long, it is jam-packed full of tiny insights into the First Lady’s life and details of her relationship with her husband of nearly 20 years.
The trailer begins with Melania at Trump’s inauguration, donning her infamous wide-brimmed hat as she looks around the Rotunda and resignedly says: ‘Here we go again.’
The preview then cuts to a series of shots stitched together like a trailer for a thriller, including dramatic clips of her getting out of cars, on and off Air Force One and even a private phone call between her and Trump with music swirling in the background.
The dramatic shots of Melania were spliced with footage of Washington DC and facades of the White House, Mar-a-Lago and Trump Tower in New York City.
Melania admits she knows what people are curious about, telling the camera: ‘Everybody wants to know, so here it is.’
The 60-second trailer is full of suspense, tension, and promises ‘unprecedented access to the 20 days leading up to the 2025 Presidential Inauguration – through the eyes of the First Lady-elect herself.’
Melania Trump is showcasing herself on a different world stage, with the recent release of the trailer for her upcoming film, simply titled: MELANIA
The film follows the 55-year-old in the days leading up to her husband Donald Trump’s second inauguration
There was an immediate reaction online to the trailer, with some people admitting they thought the film was a parody after seeing the trailer, and others joking they thought AI had made it.
While it’s only a sneak peek into Melania’s reprised role as the First Lady of the United States, the trailer also gave some insight into her marriage and her feelings about moving back into the White House.
Viewers immediately noticed the opening shot showed one of her controversial outfit choices from Trump’s swearing-in ceremony.
Slow-motion clips showcase her wearing the large navy wide-brimmed hat with a flat top and white trimming, designed by Eric Javits.
Social media ran amok with comments about the hat during Trump’s inauguration, with many joking at the time that she looked like the Hamburglar from McDonald’s.
Others noticed that its wide brim meant Trump was unable to kiss her.
In one poignant clip from the preview, in which the First Lady is being lauded as ‘iconic,’ Melania takes a phone call from her husband, where she interestingly refers to him as ‘Mr. President.’
‘Did you watch it?’ Trump says after her greeting.
In one poignant clip from the preview, Melania takes a phone call from her husband, where she interestingly refers to him as ‘Mr. President.’ They’re seen here together in 2018
The trailer shows clips of the First Lady in the lead up to the inauguration
‘I did not,’ she quickly replies. ‘I will see it on the news.’
Viewers were quick to post theories about her calling him ‘Mr. President’ and discuss the pace at which she dismissed his question.
The movie is helmed by Brett Ratner, who faced six accusations of sexual assault or misconduct in 2017.
Sources previously told Puck’s Kim Masters that Ratner was given unprecedented and ‘unfettered’ access to the Trump White House, and filmed there for 30 days, which reportedly made Secret Service agents uncomfortable.
Ratner was once considered one of Hollywood’s most in-demand directors, but was caught up in the #MeToo movement in 2017 when a Los Angeles Times exposé revealed that six women had accused him of sexual misconduct.
Ratner denied the allegations ‘categorically’ at the time and was never charged.
The Rush Hour maker had not led a film for a decade when he was tapped for the Melania project. A source told Masters that Melania was a fan, and that she even liked the idea he had been ‘canceled.’
The preview then cuts to a series of shots cut together like the trailer for a thriller movie, with dramatic shots of her getting out of cars and Air Force One
Director Brett Ratner (seen in 2021) was given unprecedented and ‘unfettered’ access to the Trump White House, and filmed there for 30 days
Users on social media did not hold back with sharing their thoughts about the upcoming film, and many seemed divided.
‘Trump will blame Biden for the poor turnout,’ joked someone on X, formerly known as Twitter.
‘Not going to lie, she kind of ate with that,’ wrote someone else.
‘She’s an icon. She’s a legend. She is the moment,’ declared someone else.
One critic, however, compared it to Succession, but ‘without all the good writing and acting.’
It’s not the first time the First Lady has published an autobiographical piece with her name as the title.
In October 2024, she published a book also titled Melania, which covered her life from her childhood in Slovenia, her modeling career, as well as meeting her now-husband Donald Trump and her first time as First Lady.
