The US President Donald Trump claimed his wife, Melania Trump, to be a “big movie star” after the release of her new documentary. Despite its abysmal rating on review aggregator sites, the movie had the biggest box office opening for a documentary in over a decade.
Donald Trump says wife, Melania, is a ‘big movie star’ after documentary release
On Thursday, February 19, Donald Trump hosted the Board of Peace meeting in Washington, DC. During his speech, he took a moment to praise the first lady and her recent documentary, Melania.
“She has a very successful movie out right now, like number one,” Trump said. “Can you believe this? Big movie star. I always say it’s trouble, because I always say there’s no room in one family for two stars. I told her that we can’t have two stars in one family. So I don’t know what that means, but it’s not good.”
“But it is good because we’re proud of her. People in the United States love the first lady,” the president continued. “She did the movie, and it’s become the biggest-selling documentary in 20 years. Can you believe that? The theaters are all packed. Women, especially, they go back and see it two or three times, four times.”
Released on January 30, 2026, Melania centers on the first lady’s daily life during the 20 days leading up to Donald Trump’s 2025 presidential inauguration. Although it had the biggest opening for a documentary in over a decade, it has earned just over $16 million at the box office as of today (via Box Office Mojo). It reportedly was made on a budget of $75 million.
Furthermore, the movie received overwhelmingly negative reception from professional critics and has a 11% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The audience’s rating, however, is at an impressive 98%.
Brett Ratner helmed the movie and served as a co-producer. Amazon MGM Studios reportedly spent $40 million on licensing and spent an additional $35 million on marketing and distribution, per The Hollywood Reporter.
