Washington– Melania Trump is wrapping up her first year as First Lady with the global release of her book Documentary film She talked about the 20 days before husband Donald Trump returned to the White House.
“Melania” will premiere Thursday at the Kennedy Center, where the Trump family is expected to walk the red carpet before the film opens in theaters around the world on Friday. They hosted a similar presentation at the White House last Saturday.
The first lady said she got the idea for the documentary after her husband won the 2024 election, and that it would give viewers a rare behind-the-scenes look into her life.
“My new film, ‘Melania,’ provides a window into an important period for America, which is the forty-seventh presidential inauguration,” she said Wednesday before the bell rang for the opening of the New York Stock Exchange. “For the first time in history, people will experience the 20 days leading up to the inauguration, through the eyes of the incoming first lady.”
Melania Trump, as a private person, remains a bit of a mystery to the public in her husband’s second term.
She said the film will show what it takes to play this prominent role, as she navigates between being a businesswoman, wife and mother, as well as the coordinator of her family’s return to the Executive Mansion.
“Everyone wants to know. So here it is,” she says in the film’s nearly two-hour trailer.
In another scene from the trailer, it’s Inauguration Day and Melania Trump is inside the Capitol building, waiting to be escorted into the rotunda for the ceremony. She turns her head, looks directly at the camera that was documenting her every move, and says, “Here we go again.”
In her self-titled memoir published in 2024, she wrote about how much she valued her privacy. She is not seen or heard as frequently as some of her recent predecessors, which may affect the public’s perceptions of her. But she also likes to do things her way.
The American public is divided on its views of the First Lady, but a large number – about 4 in 10 adults – have no opinion or have not heard of her, according to a report published by the British newspaper “Daily Mail”. CNN poll from January 2025. About 3 in 10 adults saw it positively while about the same proportion had a negative opinion.
Her standing among Republicans was higher, with about 7 in 10 in the poll saying they viewed her favorably, but about a quarter had no opinion.
Experts said the film could help improve perceptions of it.
“I think it’s an attempt, in some way, to enhance or adapt or improve its image to the American public,” said Katherine Sibley, who teaches history at St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia. “It’s a mystery to the American people.”
Melania Trump, 55, said she was honored to carry out the traditional duties of a first lady, such as hosting state dinners and hosting the annual gala. Easter egg roll and Decorating for Christmas. But she also indicated that she wants to make her mark in other ways as well.
“I want to impact the lives of Americans,” she said this week during an interview on Fox News. & friends.”
She spent long periods away from Washington last year working on the documentary and was deeply involved in every aspect of its development, according to Mark Beckman, her longtime senior adviser.
The well-being and safety of children remains one of her top priorities, and she has used her influence to pressure Congress to pass the Take It Down Act, which makes posting intimate images online without consent a federal crime. The President signed the bill into law and had her sign it as well.
Her advocacy for foster children was enshrined in an executive order Create a “Fostering the Future” program.. It’s part of “Be Best” initiative that focuses on children I started in the first semester.
She too He wrote to Russian President Vladimir Putin Last year to help reunite children separated from their families due to his war against Ukraine. She had her husband hand-deliver the letter when the leaders met in Alaska, and later announced that the eight children had been reunited with their families.
The First Lady accompanied the President on his visits to disaster areas, where she helped console the victims. It has played a prominent role in the administration’s efforts in artificial intelligence and education and launched a global version of its child care program.
She told guests at a White House Christmas reception that she is working on a new legislative effort for 2026, but has not yet shared details.
It was not clear how much money Melania Trump would earn or what her plans were for the proceeds of any film. Experts said it was unusual for a first lady to pursue a project of this kind from the White House, but not unusual for the Trump family.
“As far as I know, she’s the first first lady to get a lot of money to make a documentary about her, which is unprecedented in terms of the Trump family because they’re always breaking precedent,” said Kathryn Jellison, professor emeritus of history at Ohio University.
Presidents and first ladies generally refrain from pursuing outside business ventures while in office to avoid potential conflicts of interest or raising ethical concerns.
Both Trumps are involved in numerous business ventures, selling him everything from watches, perfumes and Bibles to jewelry, Christmas decorations and digital collectibles for him.
The film also represents another link between the Trump family and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, who has worked to improve a once-strained relationship with the president. The documentary, produced by AmazonMGM Studios and reportedly cost $40 million, will stream exclusively on streaming service Amazon Prime Video after its theatrical release.
Amazon declined to comment on financial arrangements.
The film is scheduled to be shown in about 1,600 screens worldwide on Friday, including about 1,500 in the United States. The premiere will be broadcast in 21 theaters across the country for invited guests on Thursday to help build excitement for the launch.
The film is director Brett Ratner’s first project since he was accused of sexual misconduct in the early days of the #MeToo campaign. Ratner’s lawyer denied the allegations.
He shares production credits with First Lady Beckman and Fernando Solichin of New Element Media. Filming began in December 2024.
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Associated Press writer Lynley Sanders contributed to this report.