President Donald Trump did not forget to praise first lady Melania Trump during his State of the Union address. He called her a “movie star” following the release of her Amazon documentary, Melania. Trump said, “No one cares more about protecting America’s youth than our wonderful first lady, now a movie star. She’s a movie star, can you believe it? Who would have believed that?”
Trump also mentioned his wife’s efforts on foster care initiatives and an AI challenge. He thanked her for her work as first lady.
Upon hearing the praise, the first lady smiled as she sat in the House chamber gallery. The documentary follows her life 20 days before Trump’s second inauguration as president and shows how she prepares to resume the role of first lady.
HILARIOUS: President Trump: “Oh wow, movie star, Melania Trump… tremendous success. So it’s the number one documentary in 19 years, can you believe this?… So I had a top model! Now I have a top movie star!” pic.twitter.com/cADNojrKll
— RedWave Press (@RedWavePress) February 3, 2026
Amazon reportedly paid Melania Trump $40 million for access to her documentary. An additional $35 million was reportedly spent on marketing. The company heavily promoted the film, advertising it on subways and billboards in major cities.
The documentary posted a strong opening week at the box office but then experienced a more than 60% drop in ticket sales in the following weeks. While Trump described the documentary as number one in 19 years, ratings on review platforms suggest otherwise. The film holds an 11% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a 1.4 rating on IMDb.
The documentary ultimately grossed about $15 million in total box office revenue. Still, Trump has praised Melania’s transition from model to movie figure. This is not the first time he has spoken positively about the project. Earlier, during a Board of Peace meeting, Trump referred to the documentary as successful.
According to reports, Melania’s documentary is looking like a big flop.
Presales are poor and Amazon MGM Studios isn’t happy after spending $40 million for worldwide rights.#DemsUnited pic.twitter.com/RA9gK8MjxG
— BMcArthur (@bmcarthur20) January 19, 2026
He said, “She has a very successful movie out right now, like number one. Can you believe this? Big movie stars, and I always say it’s trouble, because I always say there’s no room in one family for two stars.” He added, “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, it’s not good.”
He also said theaters were full and that some women watched the documentary multiple times. Despite modest box office returns, Amazon MGM’s distribution chief, Kevin Wilson, called the film a success. He explained that the company uses a different barometer to define success.
He said, “Whether or not people like it, the value of these movies is different for our business model. We’re getting a massive marketing campaign that’s being paid for before the film gets to streaming.” Amazon may not recoup the documentary’s full budget through theatrical release alone, but executives have suggested that acquiring the license met the platform’s broader strategic goals.
