Last week I made the embarrassing error of watching the movie Melania on Amazon Prime. I thought perhaps I would get some insight into what makes this woman tick. I did not. The movie disturbed me on many levels.
First, let’s think back on some former first ladies. Think about beautification of national parks, breast cancer awareness, focus on alcohol and drug addiction, literacy, and promoting healthy eating for children. Then, of course, there was the focus on classical music that Jackie Kennedy brought to the White House with concerts by Pablo Casals and Leonard Bernstein. None of that is happening with the current first lady. The pathetic “Be Best” anti-bullying initiative (the irony of which cannot escape many) has been revived such as it was–which means it is going nowhere fast. Plus, Melania doesn’t trouble herself to attend more than one or two events in the White House each month.
For those of you who were fortunate enough not to see the movie, it covers the final 20 days before Trump’s 2025 inauguration and focuses on Melania’s preparations for all the official events. Most of the movie involves Melania getting fitted for a suit, modifying the rim of her hat, the collar of her blouse, and the appropriate hemline of her inaugural ball gown. There are a ridiculous number of shots of her walking with stiletto heels—so let’s just say you will see a ton of shoe shots. Plus, lots of photos of caravans of SUVS and shots of Melania getting in and out of vehicles which deliver her to Mar-a-Lago, to Trump Tower, and to the White House. And then there are several shots of sumptuous dinners with over-the-top excesses of wines and fancy foods. And you will hear some concern in Melania’s voice about whether the bed in Barron’s bedroom in the White House will be long enough to accommodate his height.
Amazon spent $40 million on the movie and $35 million to promote it. Melania pocketed approximately $28 million. Brett Ratner directed the film. He was basically brought out of exile from Hollywood for former sexual transgressions to do so. (He is also mentioned several times in the Epstein files.) Please keep in mind that the average documentary costs less than $12 million to make. So, was this investment yet another ploy for Jeff Bezos to win favor with the Trump administration?
Recently Melania has indicated that she is in the process of starting business ventures across several sectors, including fashion, accessories, and skincare. Add to that the Eric and Donald Trump Jr. businesses involving drones, a luxury hotel in Dubai, a high-end residential tower in Saudi Arabia, two cryptocurrency ventures, a new golf course and villa complex in Qatar and a private club in D.C. Trump himself has generated significant cash through his crypto platform, World Liberty Financial, and ownership of meme coins and other tokens contributing heavily to his estimated $6.5 billion net worth as of February 2026. Let’s just say the Trump dynasty has given a whole new definition to the term “grifters.”
Last week during a Women’s History Month event at the White House Melania called herself “a visionary.” She said, “Often alone at the top, I follow my passion, listen to my instinct, and always maintain a laser focus.” I understand the alone part but laser-focused visionary? Really?
What bothered me most about the Melania movie was the clear sense of entitlement that came through crystal clear on every frame. There’s this massive almost patently immoral conspicuous consumption exhibited by the entire family with no consciousness of how the excessive displays of ostentatious flaunting of spending boatloads of taxpayer money appears to the average citizen. It’s almost as though they see it as their God-given right.
Will Rogers once wrote, “Too many people spend money they haven’t earned, to buy things they don’t want, to impress people they don’t like.”
Such behavior reflects a shallowness of focus and a self-absorption which my mom would have called “singularly unattractive.” I agree.