The New York Stock Exchange’s staff needed some coaching to generate sufficient excitement for Melania Trump’s new movie as she rang the opening bell to celebrate her cinematic debut.
Trump apparently failed to attract enough enthusiasm from the crowd of staff and guests gathered on the trading floor to push her new documentary, Melania, prompting a cringeworthy moment reminiscent of the political demise of Jeb Bush in 2015.
As she stood on the stage above the floor, the stock exchange’s president Lynn Martin was seen beside the first lady, scanning the crowd for applause.
Visibly dissatisfied with their response, Martin gestured to the crowd to ramp up their cheers, prompting a noticeable rise in volume.
Worse, the moment was shown live on CNBC, and Fox Business, both of which are eagerly watched by the president. Awkwardly for the first lady, CNBC’s Carl Quintanilla spoke over the bell ringing to detail her husband’s political troubles and their relation to the documentary.
After the bell was rung to signal the beginning of the day’s trading, Melania, 55, high-fived NYSE chairman Jeffrey Sprecher and fumbled an awkward hand hug with Martin before sharing a selfie with them onstage. Sprecher is CEO president of ICE, the ultimate owner of the NYSE, a different entity from the government agency which has helped to plunge Melania’s husband into political crisis.
The NYSE also gave her a “commemorative plate.”
The bell-ringing followed a speech from the first lady in which she compared her Amazon-funded documentary to the cultural impact of the Rolling Stones and Michael Jackson, and suggested that simply seeing it was a way to enter American history.
“We need stories that inspire dreams, offer hope, tales of redemption, sad stories, love stories, and funny stories,” she said. “We want to feel human.
“What do you remember when you hear Rolling Stones? Michael Jackson?” she continued. “Films bring families and friends together, sitting side by side, sharing a collective moment. In doing so, they will not simply watch my film: they will participate in a great American tradition, and became—become part of our nation’s history.”
A private screening of the film was shown at the White House on Saturday night to billionaire execs like Apple’s Tim Cook and Amazon CEO Andy Jassy, only hours after federal agents shot and killed ICU nurse Alex Pretti in Minneapolis.
The first lady will host the premiere of the $75 million film at the Kennedy Center on Thursday evening, with a slate of MAGA-friendly celebrities and administration officials decorating the guest list.
Among the expected attendees are former New York City mayor Eric Adams, fallen daytime chat king Dr. Phil, rapper Waka Flocka Flame, Fox Business anchor Maria Bartiromo, as well as a host of former NFL players and UFC fighters, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Intriguingly, the initial list had Fox News anchor Bret Baier down as an attendee, but Fox said he was not going.
The film was directed by Brett Ratner, who was accused of multiple sexual crimes by six women in 2017. Through an attorney he has denied the allegations.
The documentary has experienced a brutal reception ahead of its theatrical release , with late-night personalities Jon Stewart referring to it as “unnecessary” and Stephen Colbert calling it ”a real peek behind the curtain at a woman picking out curtains.”
The NYSE welcomes Melania Trump, First Lady of the United States, to celebrate @AmazonMGMStudio’s launch of her new film MELANIA, opening in theaters globally this Friday, January 30th.
@MELANIATRUMP | #MELANIAMOVIE https://t.co/M4PKHeX4sB— NYSE 🏛 (@NYSE) January 28, 2026
The film is projected to flop badly at the box office, and even its crewmembers hope it does.
“Unfortunately, if it does flop, I would really feel great about it,” one crew member told Rolling Stone.
“I feel a little bit uncomfortable with the propaganda element of this,” said another.
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