A candidate for governor of Iowa hosted a free screening of First Lady Melania Trump’s movie, in what appears to be a bid to win President Donald Trump’s endorsement in the race.
Last month, Republican gubernatorial hopeful Zach Lahn invited his supporters to a “FREE” matinee screening of Melania. He called the event a “LFG Rally & Melania Film Showing.”
After the screening, Lahn, a farmer, posted a video from outside the theater thanking the 100 people who attended for showing up.
“We are so thankful for everybody who came out to hear our message,” he said in the video, adding, “My heart’s really full right now.”
Other GOP candidates in the race include current and former state legislators. Adam Steen, the former director of the Iowa Department of Administrative Services; state Rep. Eddie Andrews; and Brad Sherman, a former state representative, are also hoping to nab the Republican nomination.
Trump has not yet endorsed a candidate in the race to replace retiring Gov. Kim Reynolds for the upcoming 2026 gubernatorial election. While the president’s endorsements are highly sought, his backing didn’t help MAGA activist Leigh Wambsganss in a special Texas election earlier this month.
Despite endorsing the Texas state senate candidate on Truth Social, Wambsganss lost her race to Democrat Taylor Rehmet, 33. Rehmet, a first-time candidate, beat the Republican 57-43 in a district Trump won by 17 points in 2024.
Public forms of flattery have previously gone a long way with the president, and other candidates running for office have similarly screened Melania. Kentucky Congressman Andy Barr, who is running for governor in his state, hosted a “SPECIAL event to celebrate #Melania” in Lexington.
Their screenings come as Melania needs all the audience it can get.
Billionaire Jeff Bezos, who cozied up to Trump at his second inauguration, bought the film rights through his Amazon MGM Studios for $40 million. An additional $35 million was spent on marketing the film. During its first weekend in theaters, Melania brought in an estimated $7 million, or about a tenth of what the movie cost to produce and market.
The second week it was in theatres didn’t bode much better as the film saw a 67-percent drop-off in attendance and made just just $2.4 million.
Crew members who worked on the movie, directed by disgraced Epstein pal Brett Ratner, appear to be embarrassed by the production. Around two-thirds of the production staff have said they did not want their names listed in the end credits, according to a Rolling Stone report.
They described the working environment of the film as “highly disorganized” and “very” chaotic.
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