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  "path": "/post/206163/melania-trump-promotes-documentary-israel-hostages",
  "publishedAt": "2026-02-04T22:02:24.000Z",
  "site": "https://newrepublic.com",
  "tags": [
    "Breaking News",
    "Politics",
    "Republican Party",
    "Donald Trump",
    "Melania Trump",
    "White House",
    "Documentary",
    "Israel",
    "Hostage",
    "Palestine",
    "Gaza",
    "said",
    "celebrating the release",
    "said",
    "Office of Government Ethics",
    "MS NOW",
    "film has not organically filled seats",
    "one ticket",
    "_The Guardian_",
    "Tesla commercial on the White House lawn",
    "shill beans"
  ],
  "textContent": "Either Melania Trump doesn’t know the law, or she doesn’t care to follow it.\n\nThe first lady denied that she was using the White House in order to promote her unwatchable documentary, _Melania_ , during a press conference on Wednesday—mere minutes after plugging the film.\n\n“Why do you feel it’s appropriate to use an official White House event to promote your documentary?” asked CNN’s Betsy Klein.\n\n“This is not promotion,” Mrs. Trump said. “We are here celebrating the release of the hostages of Aviva [Siegel] and Keith [Siegel].\n\n“That’s why we are here, it’s nothing to do with promotion,” she added.\n\nBut just moments prior, Melania did exactly that, referring to a scene from her film in relation to the recently freed American Israeli hostages.\n\n“It was an emotional meeting, and it is captured on camera and available to see in my new film, _Melania_ ,” she said of her first meeting with Aviva Siegel.\n\nIt is strictly illegal for federal officials to use their public office for their own private gain, according to the Office of Government Ethics. It is also illegal for a federal official or employee to leverage their position in order to assist their friends, relatives, or nongovernmental affiliates, such as businesses or, perhaps, film studios.\n\nSo far, _Melania_ has failed to impress audiences or critics, though it has defied expectations at the box office. The film, which was produced by Amazon’s film studios, cost a whopping $75 million. By Tuesday, it had raked in $7 million, reported MS NOW.\n\nIn the United States, reports have circulated that the film has not organically filled seats but rather relied on “fake ticket sales” or bulk seat purchases that were distributed to senior citizen centers or Republican activists for screenings over the weekend. In the U.K., the documentary’s premiere sold just one ticket.\n\nBut the eyes that did catch the flick were overwhelmingly unimpressed. On Monday, _The Guardian_ corrected its scathing review of the film, apologizing to its readers for giving the film a single star. “A formatting issue led an earlier version to be awarded one star, when the reviewer’s intention was zero,” the correction reads.\n\nIt’s not the first time that the Trump family has used the prestige of the Oval Office to push product, however. Last year, Donald hosted a Tesla commercial on the White House lawn during an international boycott of the Elon Musk–led company.\n\nAnd in the midst of the pandemic, the president and his daughter Ivanka used their federal platform to shill beans for Goya amid nationwide calls to boycott the company after its CEO said the country was “blessed” to have Trump as its leader. The stunt came during a push by the Trumps to increase the president’s appeal with Latino voters ahead of the 2020 election.",
  "title": "Melania Promotes Her Terrible Movie in Weirdest White House Event"
}