First lady Melania Trump is no stranger to cameras, but this time, she’s the one calling the shots.
Her new documentary, “Melania: Twenty Days to History,” provides a glimpse into her life and work during the 20 days leading up to President Donald Trump’s 2025 inauguration. Released in theaters on Friday, the first lady served as both its star and producer.
“She’s a very private and very selective person as to who she speaks to and what she does,” Marc Beckman, Melania Trump’s senior advisor and a producer of the film, told Business Insider. “We thought that this would be the appropriate opportunity to share a little bit more, to open the lens a little bit more into her family life, her career, and her philanthropy, all as she becomes first lady of the United States of America again.”
Beckman said that the first lady was deeply involved in the film’s creation.
“She participated not just with the creative direction, but in production and post-production,” Beckman said. “She was in the edit room. She was helping with color correction. She was very much involved with music selection — every song was selected by her.”
After its theatrical run, “Melania” will stream on Amazon, which paid $40 million for the film and a forthcoming docuseries set for release this summer.
Here are the most surprising moments and revelations from the documentary.
Melania Trump is a Michael Jackson fan.
The film opens with “Billie Jean” by Michael Jackson playing over aerial footage of Mar-a-Lago. The song reappears later as Melania Trump sings along while riding in the car and names it her favorite Michael Jackson hit.
She described Mar-a-Lago as her “refuge from the outside world, a place where I can exhale.”
“Melania” follows Melania Trump as she divides her time between Trump Tower in New York City, Mar-a-Lago in West Palm Beach, Florida, and Washington, DC.
The Florida estate holds special meaning for the first lady, who remembers it as the place “where Baron took his swim lessons with his grandfather, played golf with his father, and took his first tennis lesson with me.”
At President Jimmy Carter’s funeral, Melania Trump was also mourning the first anniversary of her mother’s death.
Carter’s funeral was held on January 9, 2025, one year to the day after the death of Melania Trump’s mother, Amalija Knavs.
“Grief comes in waves when you lose someone who means so much to you. I will be sitting in the Washington Cathedral, paying respect to President Carter, but I know my beloved mother will be on my mind,” she said in the film’s voiceover.
During a dress fitting, designer Herve Pierre revealed a closer look at her inauguration gown, which he constructed with no visible seams.
In the film, Pierre said the seams on the dress were entirely hidden beneath the black band zigzagging across it.
“You don’t give the recipe,” he said. “It’s like a mystery.”
First lady Brigitte Macron of France made a surprise cameo in the documentary.
The film showed a video call between Macron and Melania Trump, where they spoke about working together on her Fostering the Future and Be Best initiatives focused on children’s well-being.
“My next step and my next goal is to foster relationships and work on it with like-minded leaders and establish a coalition,” Melania Trump said. “And when we do, I hope you will join me.”
“With pleasure. I go everywhere with you,” Macron said.
The film also featured an appearance by Queen Rania of Jordan.
In the days leading up to her return to the White House, Melania Trump also recruited Queen Rania of Jordan for her coalition during a meeting at Mar-a-Lago.
The film included a meeting with Aviva Siegel, a released Israeli hostage who was held by Hamas.
Aviva Siegel was held for 51 days before being released on November 26, 2023, as part of a temporary ceasefire deal brokered by the Biden administration. In the documentary, Melania Trump comforted Siegel and pledged Donald Trump’s support for releasing the remaining hostages, including Siegel’s husband, Keith Siegel.
“I know that once he’s commander in chief, I know that’s his priority. I’m sure of it,” Melania Trump said.
One of the final title cards of the film reads: “Melania Trump played a key role in securing the release of Keith Siegel after 484 days as a hostage in Gaza, just 12 days after the inauguration.”
Melania Trump’s father, Viktor Knavs, filmed some footage of his own.
In the documentary, Knavs was shown holding a handheld camcorder and filming his daughter in the background of public appearances.
“My father always filmed these special moments when I was a child,” Melania Trump said in the film’s voiceover narration. “He showed me the world through his lens, the essence of living life with passion and purpose.”
The first lady revealed what she was thinking about right before entering the Capitol Rotunda for the inauguration.
“Walking into the Capitol Rotunda, I felt the weight of history intertwined with my own journey as an immigrant — a reminder of why I respect this nation so deeply,” she said in the film’s narration. “Everyone should do what they can to protect our individual rights. Never take them for granted because in the end, no matter where we come from, we are bound by the same humanity.”
As the first naturalized US citizen to serve as first lady, Melania Trump has previously spoken about her “arduous” pathway to citizenship.
She said she was “relieved” when the inaugural parade was moved indoors to the Capitol One Arena.
Though the move was due to frigid temperatures in Washington, DC, on Inauguration Day, Melania Trump said she preferred an indoor space for security reasons after her husband survived an assassination attempt in July 2024.
“Being in a more secure and closed space brought a certain peace of mind,” she said.
Melania Trump contributed to Donald Trump’s inaugural address.
In a scene toward the end of the film, Donald Trump was shown practicing an inauguration speech as Melania Trump watched.
“My proudest legacy will be that of a peacemaker,” he said.
“And unifier,” Melania added.
Her addition made it into the final draft of Donald Trump’s inauguration speech.
The film ends with a behind-the-scenes look at Melania Trump’s official White House portrait shot by photographer Régine Mahaux.
Mahaux, who has photographed the Trump family for over 20 years, describes Melania Trump as “very reserved, but deeply intentional.”
“I think what people don’t always see in her is a curiosity that she has for the world,” she told Business Insider. “I think the documentary reflects her sense of duty, her discipline.”
Mahaux also took Melania Trump’s White House portrait during Donald Trump’s first term in 2017.
“The first portrait was about discovering her new duty and her new role, and now this time, the portrait was an affirmation,” Mahaux said. “She really knew what she was. She was really embracing it and ready to get to work.”
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