Trump hails Melania as No 1 movie and streaming star at Mar-a-Lago

PALM BEACH, FLORIDA: President Donald Trump praised First Lady Melania Trump and her documentary 'Melania' during a speech on the evening of March 20, 2026, at Mar-a-Lago. The film surpassed box office expectations, earning more than $7 million in its opening weekend in US cinemas. The documentary provided an intimate glimpse into the First Lady’s life in the days leading up to her husband’s January 2025 inauguration.

Trump applauds Melania’s rise as a ‘movie star’

During his remarks, Trump celebrated the film’s success while adding a personal anecdote: “I told our great First Lady, she's a movie star now, can you believe it? She's the number one movie, and now she's got the number one streaming role.”

He continued, “And it bothers me because I've been telling her my whole life, there's only room, you know, there's only room for one star, one star in a family. This guy knows because his wife is a star too.”

Previously, while addressing House Republicans at a Florida golf club during the caucus’s annual policy retreat, Trump also praised the documentary.

He recounted how he was “so proud” of lowering drug prices in his first term that he rushed home to tell the First Lady. “I went home and told our great first lady who’s now a movie star,” Trump said, adding, “She’s got the biggest… Can you believe this? That movie was hot and it is hot. She became a movie star. It was a good movie.”

Trump also joined Melania at the Kennedy Center for the premiere of the film on Thursday, January 29. Speaking earlier at his Board of Peace event in DC, he again praised the film’s box office performance.

He said, “She has a very successful movie out right now, like number one. Can you believe this? Big movie star, I always say it’s trouble, because I always say there’s not room in one family for two stars.”

Melania Trump reflects on film’s reception and creative role

The documentary, which premiered in theaters on January 30, received a mixed critical response, with an 11% approval rating among critics on Rotten Tomatoes as of March 10, up from 8%.

However, audience reception was significantly stronger, with 98% of verified users rating it positively. This gap marked the largest critic-versus-audience split in the platform’s history, according to a spokesperson.

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos reportedly spent $40 million to acquire the project, while the company invested more than $35 million in marketing efforts, some of which were affected by anti-Trump activists defacing posters nationwide. 

Despite box office challenges, Amazon MGM Studios stated that the film’s streaming potential could help recover costs through Prime Video advertising and subscriptions, especially following its “Top 10” placement.

During a White House Women’s History Month event on March 12, Melania described herself as a “visionary.” She said, “As a visionary, I know success is not born overnight, but rather takes shape after a long and sometimes challenging process.”

She added, “Often alone at the top, I follow my passion, listen to my instinct, and always maintain a laser focus.”