First lady Melania Trump marked another high-profile moment Thursday night with the premiere of her self-produced documentary "Melania" at the Trump-Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., kicking off its nationwide debut ahead of Friday's theatrical and global release.
The first couple arrived together on a black carpet — a stylistic choice tied to the film's bold black-and-white marketing theme — before an invite-only audience gathered to see how the first lady framed her role during the 20 days leading up to her husband's 2025 inauguration.
Melania Trump told reporters at the premiere the documentary was "beautiful," "emotional," "fashionable," and "cinematic." She reflected her hope that audiences will get a rare, personal glimpse into her transition from private citizen to first lady.
"I'm very proud of [the] film," she said. "And it's not easy to produce. It's not [an] easy task. … I want to show the people what it takes to go from private citizen to be first lady again.
"They will see me, all of the tasks that I needed to do – from preparing the inauguration, running my business, family, and philanthropy."
The film, acquired by Amazon MGM Studios in a reported $40 million deal and directed by Brett Ratner, screens in roughly 1,500 theaters across the U.S. beginning Friday and will stream on Amazon Prime Video after its theatrical run.
Thursday's guest list leaned heavily toward MAGA supporters and administration figures, the New York Post reported.
High-profile attendees included White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, Attorney General Pam Bondi, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, FBI Director Kash Patel, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and Dr. Mehmet Oz, administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
Several international figures, such as Queen Rania of Jordan and NHL Hall of Famer Wayne Gretzky, also were reported to be present.
"Melania" offers a behind-the-scenes look at the first lady's life and duties, moving beyond the traditional political profile to highlight family moments, fashion, grief, and humor.
Whether the documentary will find a broad audience remains to be seen, but for now it has put Melania Trump's story — on her own terms — front and center.
"I think they're going to see a glamour they've never seen before, and I think our country needs glamour," the president said. "A lot about the beauty and the pageantry and things we haven't seen in a long time."
The president was asked whether he would be the same person he is today without meeting the first lady.
"That's an interesting question, I better be very careful with that" he said, smiling. "That's a very dangerous … he's asking me a very dangerous question.
"I think she has really been a great help, she's done a great job, very respected, very smart, very measured. Sometimes when I'm not so measured, she measures you.
"No, she's done a great job and very, very influential in terms of the administration."
The reporter asked the first lady whether the president would be the same person if they had not met.
"Well, we will all be in different places, I guess," she said.
"We do like the way it worked out," the president said.
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