President Donald Trump predicted on Monday that his wife Melania Trump will be remembered as “one of the truly great first ladies,” citing the commercial success of her recent self-named documentary and what he described as her consequential humanitarian work related to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.
“I’m proud of the fact that her movie is so successful. It’s a tremendous hit,” Trump said while speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One. “She does a good job. She does very consequential work. I think you’re going to see in the end that she’s going to go down as one of the truly great first ladies. When you see what she’s doing with Russia, Ukraine…She works very hard.”
Why It Matters
Melania follows the first lady in the weeks leading up to Trump’s return to the White House last January. Produced by AmazonMGM Studios and directed by Brett Ratner, the film premiered at the Kennedy Center before opening widely in U.S. theaters and internationally. The documentary debuted with $7 million in ticket sales in its first weekend, and $2.9 million on its first day.
Separately, the White House has described Melania Trump’s involvement in what it calls a Russia–Ukraine children’s reunification initiative. In October, the first lady announced that eight Ukrainian children separated from their families during the war were reunited with their relatives following months of back-channel discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
What To Know
Melania Trump has maintained a relatively low public profile during her husband’s second term, fueling renewed speculation about her role and visibility. She was notably absent for much of the 2024 presidential campaign and, since the administration began in January 2025, has made limited public appearances alongside the president.
Her approach to the role has long drawn attention. During Trump’s first term, she delayed moving into the White House for several months, remaining in New York so her son, Barron—then 10 years old—could finish the academic year at his private school in Manhattan.
She is also the second least popular of 11 recent first ladies, according to a YouGov poll, coming after Hillary Clinton, the wife of Bill Clinton who herself ran for president for the Democratic Party in 2016. However, Melania’s ranking has slightly improved after YouGov previously conducted this polling in 2023. The poll of 2,255 adults was conducted between February 2 and 5, with a margin of error of +/- 2.6 percentage points.
In the current term, Melania has largely focused on select, independent initiatives rather than routine political events. She has appeared on Capitol Hill to discuss the Take It Down Act, legislation aimed at combating nonconsensual intimate imagery. She has also participated in engagements involving military families, disaster response efforts and children’s welfare.
One of her most visible efforts has been the Russia–Ukraine children’s reunification initiative. In August 2025, Melania wrote directly to Putin regarding children affected by the war. Trump delivered the letter during a summit in Alaska. U.S. and Russian officials later announced that several children had been reunited with their families, and Russian children’s rights representatives publicly credited the first lady’s role in facilitating discussions.
President Trump has also pointed to the commercial performance of her documentary as part of what he describes as her broader legacy, calling the film a “tremendous hit.”
However, the documentary received overwhelmingly negative reviews from critics, who described it as self-promotional and propagandistic. Amazon’s reported $40 million production budget also drew scrutiny over the scale of its investment. The film has grossed approximately $15.8 million overall at the box office.
What People Are Saying
President Donald Trump at the film’s premiere: “I’m not involved. It was done with my wife. I think it’s a very important movie. It shows life in the White House. It’s a big deal, actually.”
An Amazon spokesperson previously told Newsweek: “We are excited to share this truly unique story with our millions of customers around the world.”
Melania Trump told Fox News in December: “For the first time, global audiences are invited into theaters to witness this pivotal chapter unfold—a private, unfiltered look as I navigate family, business, and philanthropy on my remarkable journey to becoming first lady of the United States of America.”
What Happens Next
Melania is expected to be available for streaming by the end of February, according to Amazon.
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