Washington — The new documentary “Melania” opens with a close-up of the first lady’s trademark high-heeled shoes Melania Trump As she walks the halls of Mar-a-Lago, her Palm Beach home, in early January 2025, it follows her climbing into a dark SUV for the short drive to the airport and a trip on her husband’s personal jet to New York and their penthouse at Trump Tower.
The film, which lasts approximately two hours, provides a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the life of the First Lady during the twenty days before she resumed her role last year. first lady, Which is known to be very protective of her privacy, A film crew was following her in Palm Beach, Florida; New York City and Washington, during that window to show her transformation from ordinary citizen to public figure to an audience that mostly sees her as a kind of mystery.
“Through this film, I want to show my journey to the American people,” she said in the documentary, which opened Friday in theaters in the United States and around the world.
Here are some takeaways:
Viewers follow Melania Trump through a variety of meetings — and fittings — as the former model appears laser-focused on the precise fit of her outfits. Her inaugural coat and hat And the dress you plan to wear to the balls. In one of the scenes where she wears the coat, she asks to tie it tightly around her hips. In another instance, after coming downstairs in a strapless dress, she requested that the black trim at the top be pinned straight and not flop around.
She reviews the elaborate arrangements for a pre-inauguration candlelight dinner in Washington for President Donald Trump’s donors, such as invitations and caviar served inside a golden egg. She is working on furnishing the family’s living quarters on the second floor of the White House. She asked her interior designer for a bigger bed for their son, Barron, “because he’s a lot taller now” than he was during Trump’s first term.
Melania Trump, who was involved in every aspect of the film’s development, includes scenes from meetings with some powerful women leading up to Inauguration Day: A video call with Brigitte Macronwife of the French President, to discuss working together on children’s initiatives, and to meet with Queen Rania of Jordan.
Also meet with Aviva Siegelwho was held hostage by Hamas after the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, and whose husband of 44 years was still detained at the time of the meeting. The film credits say Melania Trump played a key role in winning the release of Siegel’s husband.
She and President Trump attend a meeting with Secret Service officials to review plans for the day. They were told that there would be several points along the parade route where they could exit the limousine to walk along Pennsylvania Avenue, Ask: “Is it safe?”
She doesn’t seem reassured by the answer, and says she knows Barron won’t get out of the car. Trump was the target of two assassination attempts during his election campaign, one of which was at a rally in Pennsylvania, in which a bullet hit his ear and one of his supporters who was standing behind him was shot.
Trump eventually moved the traditional outdoor venues Inauguration ceremony inside Due to concerns about extremely cold weather, the show was moved indoors to Capital One Arena.
Melania Trump, who narrates the documentary, described the decision to move the show as a “practical decision.” “But actually, it felt good,” she says.
In the film, she says she wants to go beyond the traditional “social duties” of first ladies. In some ways, I actually did, especially in the documentary.
Presidents and first ladies generally wait until they have left the White House to pursue such projects to avoid questions about potential conflicts of interest or ethics.
The film, which was announced before the Trump family returned to the White House, is the product of a $40 million deal with Amazon MGM Studios. Amazon deals with the federal government, and co-founder Jeff Bezos has sought to improve relations with the president.
Melania Trump also wasn’t attached to living in the White House. In Trump’s first term, I got… An unusual move to live in New York for several months So that Barron, who was then in elementary school, could finish the school year. In her second semester, she spent much of the first year in New York and Florida working on the film.