CloseThe premiere for a new documentary about Melania Trump is underway at the Kennedy Center, which was referred to as the “Trump-Kennedy Center” on official invitations.
President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump arrived at the event in Washington, D.C. earlier tonight. While taking questions from reporters, the president hit back at critics of the $40 million Amazon MGM paid for the documentary by saying: “Well, I think they’d have to go and ask President Obama, who got paid a lot of money and hasn't done anything.”
Also present is the film’s director, Brett Ratner. Ratner is a controversial figure who has not worked in Hollywood since a string of sexual misconduct allegations in 2017, and was recently pictured in the Epstein files.
Others in attendance include Dr. Oz and his family, along with Trump administration figures such as secretary of war Pete Hegseth, secretary of education and secretary of health and human services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
Despite the lavish premiere event, the film is not expected to become a box office hit when it is released nationwide tomorrow. It has been predicted to earn between $1 million and $5 million on its opening weekend.
Follow below for live updates from tonight’s premiere…
Nicki Minaj and Dr Phil attend screening
Although neither of them appeared on the event’s black carpet, both Nicki Minaj and Dr Phil did attend the Melania screening at the Kennedy Center.
Minaj said earlier this week: “I am probably the president’s number one fan, and that’s not going to change.”
Here’s The Independent’s Carsen Holaday on the controversies, feuds and fan backlash that reshaped the rapper’s career:
How Nicki Minaj went from Queen of Rap to controversial Trump cheerleader
Once the unassailable ‘Queen of Rap,’ Nicki Minaj has grown increasingly estranged from the music industry — and embraced by conservatives — culminating in a public show of support for Donald Trump that stunned fans. Carsen Holaday traces the controversies, feuds and fan backlash that reshaped her careerKevin Perry30 January 2026 02:18
President Trump’s children, including Barron, appear to skip event
Among the notable absentees for tonight’s premiere event were all of President Trump’s children.
That includes Barron Trump, the son he shares with Melania. The 19-year-old rarely makes public appearances.
It had previously been reported that Eric and Ivanka Trump were unlikely to attend the event.
Donald Trump Jr. and his fiancée, Bettina Anderson, were on the original guest list but were nowhere to be seen at the event.
Kevin Perry30 January 2026 02:11
Melania reveals further details of upcoming docuseries
As if the release of the feature-length Melania documentary wasn’t enough, Prime video will also release several episodes of a docuseries later this year.
Speaking about the show at the premiere, Melania said: “We are still producing it, and that will be completely new footage.
“We have some scenes that are not in the movie. We will have in a few months a docuseries, so people will see much more documentary.”
Kevin Perry30 January 2026 01:52
Melania struggles to sum up film in three words
Asked on the red carpet whether she can describe the film in three words, Melania responds:
"I think the people will judge it for themselves… It’s beautiful, it’s emotional, it’s fashionable, it’s cinematic, and I’m very proud of it."
Kevin Perry30 January 2026 00:49
Donald and Melania Trump arrive at First Lady's documentary premiere
Kevin Perry30 January 2026 00:41
Trump takes shots at Obama when questioned over documentary cost
Asked on the red carpet what he would say to those who have been critical of the fact that Amazon paid $40 million to acquire the rights for this movie, President Trump replied:
“Well, I think they'd have to go and ask President Obama, who got paid a lot of money and hasn't done anything.”
President Obama signed a production deal with Netflix in 2018 that has produced various film projects including American Factory, Leave the World Behind, and Crip Camp.
Kevin Perry30 January 2026 00:30
‘Melania is a huge supporter of my agenda,’ says RFK Jr.
Kevin Perry30 January 2026 00:26
Donald and Melania arrive
Kevin Perry30 January 2026 00:20
Television stars and Trump cabinet members continue to arrive
Kevin Perry30 January 2026 00:11
Brett Ratner and Marc Beckman pictured together at 'Melania' premiere
If Brett Ratner succeeds in using Melania to revive his career, he’ll have Melania’s senior advisor Marc Beckman to thank.
Beckman and Ratner have known each other since the former’s advertising agency hired the director in 2007 for a provocative jeans campaign starring a topless Heidi Klum.
Beckman also negotiated the unusually high $40 million deal for the documentary with Amazon MGM, and recommended Ratner for the directing job.
“He understood how to bring this cinematic, stylized quality to the film that the First Lady envisioned,” Beckman recently told The Times.
Kevin Perry29 January 2026 23:55NewerOlder