All posts tagged "melania trump"

One big fat bribe sums up the moral squalor of Trump's pet billionaires

I haven’t seen it. I hope you don’t, either.

This, from one of the kinder reviews:

“Across some 104 minutes, the first lady delivers these blatantly scripted and meaningless narrations with all the conviction of someone who just woke up from a two-hour nap and can’t remember what day it is.”

Manohla Dargis of The New York Times sees a “glossy, curiously impersonal” portrait of a woman who “rarely drops her Sphinxlike deadpan.” Nick Hilton of The Independent calls the first lady a “scowling void of pure nothingness in this ghastly bit of propaganda.” Guardian critic Xan Brooks says it “doesn’t have a single redeeming quality” and compares it to a “medieval tribute to placate the greedy king on his throne.”

Not since The Washington Post music critic Paul Hume observed that Margaret Truman’s singing voice in Constitution Hall in 1950 was “flat a good deal of the time” has a performance by a member of a sitting president’s family generated such averse reviews.

Yet because the The Washington Post is now owned by the man who spent $75 million on the movie ($40 million to make it, $35 million to promote it), I somehow doubt The Post will crap on it. (At least Monica Hesse, in her review for The Post, had the honesty to confess that “if you suspect I have come here today to trash a movie about the wife of a notoriously thin-skinned, anti-journalist president, which was bankrolled by the company owned by the man who also pays my salary — NOT TODAY, SATAN. Do you think I’m a moron?”)

My purpose today is less to highlight this inane excuse for a film than to talk about its real excuse — allowing Jeff Bezos to give a big fat bribe to the president of the United States.

Why would Bezos bribe him? Please.

Bezos, one of the richest men in the world, owns Amazon and many other businesses that depend on the whims of the sociopath in the Oval Office. (Trump sold the idea of the documentary to Bezos when he dined at Mar-a-Lago in December 2024, just after the election, according to the The Wall Street Journal.)

Bezos’s Amazon Web Services has a $1 billion agreement with the General Services Administration for cloud services, which presumably Bezos would like renewed. His rocket company, Blue Origin, has over $2.3 billion in contracts from the U.S. Space Force.

Several of Bezos’s companies are subject to potential tariffs on goods from China. Amazon is under the cloud of a major antitrust lawsuit brought by the Federal Trade Commission (when the FTC was still independent — before it came under the putative control of the Oval Office). The trial is expected in 2027.

And so on.

Friends, when the history of this sordid period of America is written — assuming it’s not written by historians trying to curry favor with a future fascist regime — I hope the leaders of American business are condemned to the hellfire they deserve for helping destroy American democracy.

The outer ring of hell will be reserved for CEOs who stayed silent so as not to rile the narcissist-in-chief.

Jamie Dimon of JPMorgan Chase will reside here because, notwithstanding his assumed role as spokesman for American business, Dimon has uttered no criticism of Trump other than to suggest, in the vaguest possible terms, that Trump’s attack on the Federal Reserve’s independence “is probably not a great idea.”

The middle ring will be reserved for business leaders who surrendered to Trump’s extortionist demands for personal payoffs.

The Ellisons, père Larry (the world’s third-richest person) et fils David, will be there, along with Shari Redstone and the board of Paramount, for paying Trump $16 million to settle his utterly baseless lawsuit against CBS.

Also in this middle ring will be Bob Iger, CEO of Disney (which owns ABC) and Debra OConnell, the president of ABC News Group and Disney Entertainment Networks, for giving Trump $15 million to settle his equally spurious lawsuit against ABC News.

In the inner ring, where hell fires burn especially hot, will be business leaders who went beyond acquiescing to Trump’s extortion and decided to pay him big fat bribes.

Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, will have pride of place here, after spending a quarter of a billion dollars getting Trump elected.

Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, will get a spot here for lavishing on Trump a custom-designed glass plaque mounted on a 24-karat gold base.

We’ll also find here the CEOs who coughed up $300,000 each for Trump’s ballroom — including crypto magnates Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, oil tycoon Harold Hamm, Blackstone’s Stephen Schwarzman, and every Big Tech mogul.

But Bezos, with his $75 million bribe of Trump, will deserve a special place in the innermost ring of hell.

The $40 million he paid Melania Trump’s production company is at least $35 million more than the cost of typical high-end documentaries. (By way of comparison, Magnolia Pictures and CNN Films produced “RBG,” a documentary about the late Supreme Court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, for around $1 million.)

Melania Trump pocketed more than 70 percent of that $40 million — or more than $28 million — the Journal reported.

The additional $35 million Bezos shelled out for marketing “Melania” is 10 times what other high-profile documentaries spend on marketing. The promotional budget for “RBG” was about $3 million. (To be sure, Melania Trump is no Ruth Bader Ginsburg, so I suppose you might argue that Melania needed a larger promo budget. But this much larger?)

All this, at a time when Bezos is slashing the newsroom at the Post — it’s heart and soul — in order to “economize.” Forget the inner ring. Bezos deserves to be at the center of the inferno.

The promo money apparently worked, at least in the U.S., where opening-weekend ticket sales for “Melania” totaled $7 million.

But let’s be realistic. A $35 million promotional budget will get people into theaters to see paint drying.

If all goes well — given that opening weekend is usually about 25 percent of total box office and that movie houses pocket half — Amazon could end up with about $14 million on its $75 million investment. A pittance.

Yet this was never a financial investment. It was an investment in kissing Trump’s derriere. As Ted Hope, who was instrumental in starting Amazon’s film division, wondered aloud to The New York Times: “How can it not be equated with currying favor or an outright bribe? How can that not be the case?”

Of course it’s an outright bribe.

If America still had a Department of Justice, Bezos would be indicted for bribery of a public official pursuant to 18 U.S. Code § 201, which criminalizes offering or giving anything of value to a public official with the intent to influence their official actions. Penalty: imprisonment for up to 15 years.

(Also note: The U.S. Constitution lists taking a bribe as an impeachable offense for a president.)

There’s a statute of limitations for criminal prosecution of such bribes: Prosecution must begin within five years of the deed.

So, my friends, if America gets a true Justice Department starting in January of 2029, Bezos’s inferno may become a reality.

Robert Reich is an emeritus professor of public policy at Berkeley and former secretary of labor. His writings can be found at https://robertreich.substack.com/. His new memoir, Coming Up Short, can be found wherever you buy books. You can also support local bookstores nationally by ordering the book at bookshop.org

Melania Trump ridiculed for saying her 'loved by all' movie is '#1': 'Alternate reality'

Melania Trump on Saturday was accused of living in an "alternate reality" after she bragged that her new documentary, which has reportedly struggled in sales, is "#1" and is "loved by all."

The Guardian sent a writer to watch the documentary, Melania, at the busiest movie theater in Times Square, the day of its release. He joined just 12 people in the audience. And they were far from blown away, according to the outlet's reporting.

But that didn't stop the first lady from bragging about her film being universally loved.

"MELANIA, the film. #1 Highest Opening In 10 Yrs (Doc) Loved By All - 'A' CinemaScore," she wrote on Saturday.

The pushback from observers came within mere minutes.

Columnist Jackie Calmes replied with, "Alternate reality."

Ex-GOP insider Jeff Timmer simply wrote, "lol."

Stand-up comedian Ryan Cullen responded writing, "ooft. You can tell Donald didn't wanna retweet this. Nightmare."

Journalist Fredrik Græsvik added, "The First Lady is just as detached from reality as the president. What in the world is wrong with people?"

A number of users simply posted the film's 6% score on Rotten Tomatoes.

Melania Trump's email to Epstein accomplice emerges in new DOJ dump

A new batch of Jeffrey Epstein materials released by the Department of Justice on Friday showed that Melania Trump was in communication with the late child sex offender's accomplice and former socialite Ghislaine Maxwell.

In an email sent by then Melania Knauss to Maxwell in 2002, who was at the time President Donald Trump's girlfriend, commended on a New York magazine article about Epstein, The Daily Beast reported.

“Dear G! How are you?” Melania's email included. “Nice story about JE in NY mag. You look great in the picture.”

At the time, the couple was photographed with Maxwell and Epstein. The email has appeared to be the first written communication between Melania and Maxwell, The Beast reported.

The DOJ reportedly scrubbed numerous files relating to Epstein and President Donald Trump from its website on Friday, less than an hour after announcement that the agency had released 3 million Epstein documents.

Maxwell is currently serving 20 years in prison for child sex trafficking. She played a crucial role in facilitating his sex trafficking operation by recruiting, grooming and manipulating underage girls on Epstein's behalf, often posing as a maternal figure to gain their trust. Maxwell was arrested in July 2020, convicted on five counts including sex trafficking of minors in December 2021. Her case revealed her essential role in Epstein's systematic abuse of dozens of victims over many years.

Hot mic reveals prominent no-shows at 'Melania' documentary premiere

A hot mic on a livestream Thursday night caught someone behind the camera naming several notable no-shows at the premiere of first lady Melania Trump's self-titled documentary screening at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.

In the video, which was shared by several users on social media, a black carpet appeared empty while a voice behind the camera listed names of several Trump allies — including a number of administration officials — who did not appear at the Amazon MGM Studios film's premiere.

Kari Lake, Bret Baier, Kellyanne Conway, Riley Gaines, Kash Patel, Kristi Noem, Pam Bondi, Sean Duffy and Peter Navarro were all named as missing at the event by the person behind the camera.

Ticket sales for the film have reportedly been dismal, with the London premiere reportedly drawing in only single-digit ticket sales.

"Melania" will open in 1,400 theaters Friday across the U.S. and in more than 27 other countries. Amazon dropped a reported $35 million on marketing the documentary, and social media posts have suggested that many theaters will be empty as the film rolls.

BREAKING - Humiliating hot mic moment at the Melania premiere red carpet.

NO ONE is showing up and they had to cut the feed. 🤣🤣🤣

Kari Lake, Bret Baier, Kellyanne Conway, Riley Gaines, Kash Patel, Kristi Noem, Pam Bondi, Sean Duffy, and Peter Navarro all no-showed! pic.twitter.com/uiV7l0156z
— DonkConnects ♻️™ (@donkoclock) January 30, 2026

This horror show unmasks exactly what Melania is

If you’ve lost your mind, have no taste or scruples, and plan to waste your hard-earned money to see the new Melania Trump documentary, you should be ashamed of yourself.

But should morbid curiosity win out, may I suggest stopping at an off-the-rack store to purchase a knockoff of the UFO hat Melania wore to her husband’s inauguration, then pulling it low to preserve anonymity as you slip into your seat. No one should know you willingly participated in this gilded F-U to America and its working class.

You will see only what Melania wants you to see — and that is the same glossy illusion she’s been selling for years. Chilly, aloof, stuck-up, untouchable. Above it all. Put plainly, a bitchy snob.

This film is no interrogation of its subject, which is the point of documentaries. It doesn’t reveal her authentic self, another core objective of the form. It does not document public service, because there is none. It merely worships its subject. All it really documents is the business of being rich while married to an infantile, uncouth, deeply disturbed, narcissistic, obese, simple-minded wannabe dictator.

Set in the 20 days leading up to Donald Trump’s macabre 2025 inauguration, the film obsesses over designers, styling sessions, and monetizing the First Lady brand. Viewers are treated to endless couture fittings of Adam Lippes looks that cost thousands upon thousands of dollars.

Meanwhile, while Melania wraps herself in finery, millions of Americans struggle to afford groceries, rent, health care, and basic clothing that isn’t custom-made.

This is a celebration of wealth. Think about Trump’s inauguration, its attendant billionaires: Tim Cook, Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos. A who’s who of obscene male wealth, all nuzzled beneath Melania’s alien hat.

Where were the MAGA faithful? Banished. Relegated to the basement. Because Melania can’t bear to be in the same room. If they show up for this film, they are farther gone than we could ever imagine.

Melania Trump has never given a rat’s ass about the MAGA masses. She doesn’t campaign in red states. She doesn’t shake hands in diners. She doesn’t glad-hand ropelines. She doesn’t slog through town halls or even feign interest in her husband’s rambling, racist rallies.

She has no idea what a grocery store receipt looks like, what a paycheck feels like, or how much health care costs. She avoids the lowly with thinly veiled contempt. This documentary only reinforces that disdain.

This film is not for them. Nor is it for us, struggling to make ends meet. It is for the elite, by the elite, a cinematic middle finger to anyone not living the lifestyle of the undeservedly rich and famous.

The closest thing to “substance” in Melania’s White House life is her farcical “Be Best” initiative, meant to encourage kids to excel. This, from someone to whom kindness and generosity is as foreign as her accent? Do we see her touring schools? Sitting with families? Doing the grinding, unglamorous work of advocacy? Of course not. What we see is a woman enriching herself.

Remember the jacket she wore in 2018 that read, “I really don’t care, do you?”? It still fits. The only thing Melania Trump cares about is money. More money. Even more money, on top of that.

Which brings us to the grotesque excess of the film itself. The documentary isn’t just a prestige project. It’s a cash cow. A reported $75 million exercise in kissing the rotund ass of her husband, courtesy of Bezos and Amazon.

It’s a reminder that for the Trumps, public office is never public service. It’s grift. Always has been. Always will be.

Melania reportedly pocketed nearly $250,000 just to appear at a Log Cabin Republicans fundraiser. A fundraiser. She sought another quarter-million for an interview tied to her poorly reviewed book.

That grift was on full display at last week’s black-tie White House film screening, a spectacle so tone deaf it bordered on insanity. As the country reeled from the killing by federal agents of 37-year-old ICU nurse Alex Pretti, in Minneapolis, the Trumps rolled out the red carpet for tech CEOs in tuxedos.

The callous Melania was pissed off Pretti overshadowed her big night. The nerve of a lowly nurse, stealing her lamentable limelight.

Same story at the Kennedy Center premiere on Thursday night. A parade of sycophants and lackeys, some likely attending under duress. No one is buying tickets for this cinematic s–t-show. Though of course, Donald will find a way to call his wife’s flagrant flop a hit.

Adding to the rot is the director, Brett Ratner, exiled from directing for 12 years after multiple respected figures — Olivia Munn, Natasha Henstridge and Elliot Page among them — accused him of sexual harassment, assault, and misconduct.

He denied it, of course. Perhaps the point of his comeback film is to launder reputations, hers and his. Melania does seem to enjoy surrounding herself with men battered by sexual misconduct allegations.

First lady? Ha! She avoids the White House when possible, preferring the vulgar luxury of Mar-a-Lago or her Trump Tower mansion in the sky. She sells access. She demands obscene appearance fees. She controls the narrative. And she wants you to pay to be lied to.

The truth is beneath that infamous inauguration hat, an ice-cold, supercilious highbrow who does not care about you, your life, your bills, or your struggles.

And frankly, she doesn’t care if you do her the favor of seeing her film. She already got what she wanted: nearly $30 million. The only people doing her favors are billionaires like Bezos, eager for tax breaks from her husband.

So don’t see it. Don’t reward it. Don’t talk about it, unless you’re dragging it online. For God’s sake, stay away.

John Casey was most recently Senior Editor, The Advocate, and is a freelance opinion and feature story writer. Previously, he was a Capitol Hill press secretary, and spent 25 years in media and public relations in NYC. He is the co-author of LOVE: The Heroic Stories of Marriage Equality (Rizzoli, 2025), named by Oprah in her "Best 25 of 2025.”

Jimmy Kimmel mocks Melania Trump with three word jab over upcoming documentary

Jimmy Kimmel has ridiculed Melania Trump and the upcoming Amazon documentary with a three-word jab at the film.

The talk show host mocked Melania, who had compared the importance of the upcoming film to Michael Jackson and The Rolling Stones. Melania, during an appearance at the New York Stock Exchange, said, "Visual storytelling and beautiful music create memories for a lifetime. What do you remember when you hear The Rolling Stones, Michael Jackson?"

Kimmel blasted the First Lady for her comparison between the Brett Ratner-directed documentary and musicians like The Rolling Stones and Mick Jagger. He said, "Are you really trying to tell us this dumb vanity project, this corporate bribe is a work of art we're going to remember like the music of Rolling Stones and Michael Jackson.

"I mean, the only thing that reminds me of Michael Jackson is when it's bad, it's bad. You know it, and it's bad." Kimmel went on to share his surprise at crew members taking their names off of the credits to the film.

He said, "Two thirds of the crew that shot the movie in New York asked to have their names removed from the credits. Do you have any idea how bad a movie has to be for a crew member to not want a credit?

"Like remember that weird Cats movie from like five or six years ago? Everyone got their credits on that one. People keep their credits on Matt Damon movies."

Insiders confirmed some crew members had taken their names off of the film, while others called the working conditions on the project a chaotic experience. One insider, speaking to Rolling Stone, said, "People were worked really hard. Really long hours, highly disorganized, very chaotic."

Another added that the shoot "wasn't easy money. It was very difficult because of the chaos that was around everything. … Usually [for a documentary] it’s like, ‘Oh, follow the subject.’ Well, it’s Melania Trump. With the first lady and Secret Service, you can’t just do things you usually do."

Another source suggested they hope the film does not perform well. They said, “Unfortunately, if it does flop, I would really feel great about it.”

Melania's film crew member hopes for flop as insiders share behind-the-scenes tales

Members of the team behind the Melania Trump documentary are hoping the film bombs at the box office, according to a report.

Insiders have suggested the filming of the Brett Ratner-helmed documentary, "Melania," was chaos behind the scenes. Part of the problem was getting access to Melania and the Trump family, but some issues were caused by Ratner himself, according to Rolling Stone. The film director has not worked on a project since 2014's Hercules and was subject to a number of sexual assault and harassment allegations in 2017.

One insider, speaking to Rolling Stone, said, "People were worked really hard. Really long hours, highly disorganized, very chaotic."

Other members of the production team now regret putting their name on the documentary, with one person saying they are "much more alarmed now than I was a year ago."

Another source who spoke to Rolling Stone suggested almost two-thirds of the crew who worked on the film in New York had requested their name be pulled from the credits of the documentary.

A third anonymous source who worked on Melania said, "I feel a little bit uncomfortable with the propaganda element of this. But Brett Ratner was the worst part of working on this project."

Another source suggested they hope the film does not perform well. They said, “Unfortunately, if it does flop, I would really feel great about it.”

Amazon MGM Studios said they greenlit the project because it would be of interest to audiences. A spokesperson told Rolling Stone, "We licensed the film for one reason and one reason only - because we think customers are going to love it."

Firestorm as Apple CEO makes eye-popping White House visit: 'You’ve tarnished your legacy'

Apple CEO Tim Cook was criticized online Monday after attending the White House screening of Melania Trump's self-titled documentary "Melania" and posing for a photo with co-producer and director Brett Ratner.

Ratner, who co-produced and directed the film set to release in theaters Friday, has been accused of rape and sexual misconduct. In December the Department of Justice released thousands of files connected to the Jeffrey Epstein investigation, including a photo of Ratner embracing a shirtless Jean-Luc Brunel, a French model scout and owner of the international modeling agency MC2 Model Management, a modeling agency with considerable financial support from Epstein. Brunel died in 2022 of apparent suicide while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges, and in a manner not dissimilar to how Epstein died in 2019.

Cook has been accused of bowing down to the Trump administration, including a personal donation of $1 million to Trump's inaugural committee, private dinners with other billionaires and even gifting Trump a 24-karat stand and glass Apple plaque.

Media experts and social media users called out Cook for his relationship with the Trump administration.

"Apple CEO Tim Cook attended the WH screening of MELANIA, endorsed Trump wholeheartedly and proudly posed with sexual predator and the movie's director Brett Ratner, while ICE agents were slaughtering a VA nurse in Minneapolis. Tim reportedly kept asking, 'Is Goebbels here? Can I get a selfie?" Paul Rudnick, novelist and playwright, wrote on X.

"Here's apple CEO tim cook posing with accused sexual predator brett ratner at a screening of his 'melania' doc at the white house. olivia munn, one of ratner's alleged victims, stars in the apple tv+ series 'your friends & neighbors,'" Columbia University professor and journalist Marlow Stern wrote on X.

"Apple has donated millions to the Trump Administration in the past year. Tim Cook's last post was honoring MLK a week ago. Pretty galling to offer a tribute to a long-dead icon's 'commitment to justice' when you are funding injustice today," Tim Miller, host of The Bulwark Podcast and MS NOW analyst, wrote on X.

"@tim_cook you honored MLK and then dishonored yourself, your company, and the country by bowing to Trump, making a vanity project with his wife and hanging out at the White House last night. Of all nights. Shame. I’m deeply disappointed in you. Shame. You’ve tarnished your legacy," Charlie Fink, professor, producer and podcast host, wrote on X.

"Where you stand is where you fall," journalist and podcast host Kara Swisher wrote on Threads.

Mockery abounds as 'Melania' documentary bombs: 'Every seat is still available!'

The internet mocked President Donald Trump Monday as he attempted to promote his wife's documentary "Melania" — with plenty of people pointing out that ticket sales didn't appear to be looking good.

The documentary was set to release on Friday and was co-produced and directed by Brett Ratner, who has been accused of rape and sexual misconduct. In December the Department of Justice released thousands of files connected to the Jeffrey Epstein investigation, including a photo of Ratner embracing a shirtless Jean-Luc Brunel, a French model scout and owner of the international modeling agency MC2 Model Management, a modeling agency with considerable financial support from Epstein. Brunel died in 2022 of apparent suicide while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges, and in a manner not dissimilar to how Epstein died in 2019.

On social media, users were quick to point out that theater seats appeared to be very open.

"This is the theater near me for opening night this Friday at 9:40 pm. Every seat is still available," online commentator Hal for NY wrote on X.

"Yeah man, packed house for sure," John Bourscheid wrote on X.

"Selling Out Fast...Only 2 tickets sold on opening day," user Neetu Khandelwal wrote on X.

"Selling out fast? Omaha hasn’t bought a single f------ ticket," Jamie Bonkiewicz wrote on X.

"Even the empty seats are embarrassed about this flop," user Brittany Belle wrote on X.

"There is nowhere on earth where tickets are selling out fast for this," writer and producer Adam G. Simon wrote on X.

Melania Trump gets shot across the bow over Epstein questions from president's biographer

Michael Wolff, journalist and President Donald Trump biographer, warned that first lady Melania Trump should be concerned about his questions for her about her relationship with the late financier and child sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.

Wolff, who has written four books about the president, has expressed that he has important questions for Melania and accused the Trump family's attorneys of "llegal stonewalling" in an interview with The Daily Beast's Joanna Coles, chief creative and content officer, and opinion piece for The Beast and recent Substack essay. At the center of his questions is whether Melania was involved in the recruiting or operations of a modeling agency that reportedly connected young girls to Epstein.

Wolff is the first person to bring a lawsuit against the first lady — or any first lady. The writer revealed why the Trumps are afraid to speak out about Epstein after Melania Trump threatened to sue him in what he calls a strategic lawsuit against public participation, or SLAPP, lawsuit, and how he filed an anti-SLAPP suit in response.

"Melania Trump does not believe she will have to sit through a deposition conducted by my lawyers and answer questions about Jeffrey Epstein. Her lawyers, to the extent that they discuss anything with her, have undoubtedly assured her of that: It won’t happen, because, well, it can’t happen," he said.

"But if it did… no, neither her lawyers, nor White House staff, nor the first lady, nor the president can begin to imagine what that would entail," Wolff said.

Part of Wolff's lawsuit will have to prove that Melania Trump lives more days in New York than she does in Washington, D.C., or Florida, Wolff explained.

"The problem is then that — for them — would reveal that this is a marriage like none other than we've seen in the White House," he said.

The lawsuit could end up deposing other people if the Trumps decline depositions.

"We are in it for the long haul. The race is long and we are in it," he added.

Epstein and Donald Trump were acquainted for several decades, moving in similar wealthy Manhattan social circles during the 1980s and 1990s, with multiple credible accounts documenting their attendance at the same parties and events. While Trump has claimed minimal friendship with Epstein and stated they had a falling out in the early 2000s, court documents and witness testimonies have confirmed they knew each other and socialized together during a period when Epstein was actively engaged in his trafficking operation, though no evidence has emerged suggesting Trump was involved in or had knowledge of Epstein's crimes.