WASHINGTON—Thanks to a new executive order backed by first lady Melania Trump, federal employees who foster or adopt children will now receive new benefits, according to an internal White House email obtained by The Daily Wire.
The White House Management Office informed Executive Office of the President (EOP) staff on Friday that under the Family and Medical Leave Act, employees who foster or adopt a child can receive up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave, flexible work schedules, and &#8220;other workplace accommodations at the discretion of component leadership.&#8221;
Many of these benefits were first established during President Donald Trump&#8217;s first term and continued under former President Joe Biden, but officials say the new order clarifies and expands how they can be used.
The renewed focus comes as part of the first lady&#8217;s &#8220;Fostering the Future&#8221; initiative, developed alongside the Office of Personnel Management and the Administration for Children and Families at the Department of Health and Human Services.
A White House official told The Daily Wire that the order is designed to remove barriers for federal workers seeking to foster or adopt.
“Federal workers looking to adopt or foster a child no longer need to worry that their work would delay or prevent a child from being with a loving family,&#8221; the official shared. &#8220;Their responsibility as a parent or caregiver doesn’t happen all at once. He or she may need one day here for a court visit and another day there for a doctor’s appointment. Delaying any of these things means that one more kid isn’t being reunified with their family or finding the next best place to belong and be cared for.”
The policy builds on the first lady&#8217;s initiative. According to the internal email, Melania Trump coordinated with the Office of Personnel Management, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, and the Health Department&#8217;s Administration for Children and Families to &#8220;support foster and adoptive families across the federal workforce.&#8221;
<div id="attachment_1088095" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/federal-workers-get-new-support-through-melania-trumps-foster-care-adoption-initiative/president-trump-signs-executive-order-on-fostering-the-future" rel="attachment wp-att-1088095"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1088095" class="wp-image-1088095 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/05/GettyImages-2246565350-864x576.jpg" alt="" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/05/GettyImages-2246565350-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/05/GettyImages-2246565350-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/05/GettyImages-2246565350-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/05/GettyImages-2246565350.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" /></a>Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images</div>
On Thursday, President Trump signed a proclamation designating May 2026 as National Foster Care Month, calling upon &#8220;all Americans to honor the efforts of those who contribute to our Nation’s foster care system and recommit to improving the lives of those children who depend upon their service.&#8221;
One of the biggest challenges that FLOTUS and her allies face, The Daily Wire has learned, is the need for more caring foster parents and adoptive families.
As The Daily Wire previously reported, the Department of Health and Human Services has partnered with 14 states and Washington, D.C., through the bipartisan &#8220;Home for Every Child&#8221; initiative to increase the number of licensed foster homes. Currently, there are just 57 licensed homes for every 100 children in care.
Participating states, including Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Nebraska, Rhode Island, and Iowa, are working to improve data tracking and reduce barriers in the foster care system, with the goal of reaching a one-to-one ratio.
“When we don’t have enough homes for those children, they get placed in non-traditional settings that are not conducive to long-term growth and development of the child,” Assistant Secretary Alex Adams previously told The Daily Wire. “So we need to increase nationally the ratio of homes to kids.”

House Ways And Means Committee Holds Foster Care Roundtable

EXCLUSIVE: Federal Workers Get New Support Through Melania’s Foster Care, Adoption Initiative

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WASHINGTON — ABC is remaining silent amid calls from the White House for late night show host Jimmy Kimmel to be fired for joking that Melania Trump looked like an &#8220;expectant widow&#8221; — just days before another would-be assassin tried to kill Donald Trump.
&#8220;I appreciate that so many people are incensed by Kimmel’s despicable call to violence, and normally would not be responsive to anything that he said but, this is something far beyond the pale,&#8221; President Donald Trump said on Monday afternoon. &#8220;Jimmy Kimmel should be immediately fired by Disney and ABC.&#8221;
Trump&#8217;s comments followed a rare statement from his wife, who said on Monday that &#8220;Kimmel’s hateful and violent rhetoric is intended to divide our country.&#8221;
&#8220;His monologue about my family isn’t comedy — his words are corrosive and deepens the political sickness within America,&#8221; the First Lady said. &#8220;People like Kimmel shouldn’t have the opportunity to enter our homes each evening to spread hate.&#8221;
&#8220;A coward, Kimmel hides behind ABC because he knows the network will keep running cover to protect him,&#8221; she added. &#8220;Enough is enough. It is time for ABC to take a stand. How many times will ABC’s leadership enable Kimmel’s atrocious behavior at the expense of our community.&#8221;
The Daily Wire has repeatedly reached out to both ABC and Kimmel&#8217;s representatives over the past 24 hours about the White House statements. Neither ABC nor Kimmel&#8217;s team has responded to requests for comment.
The network recently announced its decision to pull &#8220;The Bachelorette&#8221; amid concerns over bachelorette Taylor Frankie Paul and domestic violence videos that surfaced. Years earlier, the network cancelled host Chris Harrison for defending bachelorette contestant Rachael Kirkconnell after photos surfaced of her attending an antebellum-themed party.
Kimmel&#8217;s remarks, however, have not appeared to faze the network, despite aggressive condemnation from the White House.
“Who in their right mind says a wife would be glowing over the potential murder of her beloved husband?” questioned Karoline Leavitt from the briefing room podium on Monday afternoon.
<div id="attachment_1085511" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/daily-wire-presses-abc-on-kimmels-melania-widow-joke-crickets/abcs-jimmy-kimmel-live-season-14-4" rel="attachment wp-att-1085511"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1085511" class="wp-image-1085511 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/GettyImages-534439408-864x576.jpg" alt="" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/GettyImages-534439408-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/GettyImages-534439408-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/GettyImages-534439408-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/GettyImages-534439408.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" /></a>(Randy Holmes/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images)</div>
Kimmel, meanwhile, defended his remarks without apologizing, claiming he was joking about the Trumps&#8217; age difference, mocking the Trumps, and even repeating the joke.
“It was a very light roast joke about the fact that he’s almost 80 and she’s younger than I am,&#8221; he said. &#8220;It was not by any stretch of the definition a call to assassination.”
&#8220;I’ve been very vocal for many years speaking out against gun violence, in particular,&#8221; he said during his stand-up bit. &#8220;But I understand that the First Lady had a stressful experience over the weekend &#8230; and probably every weekend is pretty stressful in that house. And also, I agree that hateful and violent rhetoric is something we should reject. I do. And I think a great place to start to dial that back would be to have a conversation with your husband about it.”
Kimmel&#8217;s defense prompted a scathing response from Steven Cheung, the White House Director of Communications.
&#8220;Jimmy Kimmel is a sh*t human being for: #1. Making a disgusting joke about assassinating the President #2. Doubling down on that joke instead of doing the decent thing by apologizing,&#8221; Cheung said.
&#8220;ABC needs to fire him immediately and he should be shunned for the rest of his life,&#8221; he said.
ABC has still not responded to requests for comment from The Daily Wire.

JIMMY KIMMEL

ABC News Silent As White House Calls For Jimmy Kimmel Firing

Jimmy Kimmel

Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel decided that instead of apologizing for his ill-timed, tasteless, and absolutely unfunny “joke” about the first lady looking forward to being a widow, he was going to double down.
The comedian said as much during his monologue Monday night after being trashed by everyone for days, including Melania Trump herself.
&#8220;I said, &#8216;Our first lady Melania&#8217;s here, look at her, so beautiful. Mrs. Trump, you have a glow like an expectant widow.&#8217; Which, obviously, was a joke about their age difference and the look of joy we see on her face every time they&#8217;re together. It was a very light roast joke about the fact that he&#8217;s almost 80 and she&#8217;s younger than I am. It was not by any stretch of the definition a call to assassination,&#8221; Kimmel, an avid Trump critic, insisted.
“There was no big reaction to it until this morning, when I faced yet another Twitter vomit storm and calls to fire me from our first lady,” the host added.
<div style="max-width: 728px; margin: 0 auto;">  <iframe style="aspect-ratio: 9/16; max-width: 220px; display: flex; justify-content: center; width: 100%; margin: 20px auto 5px; border: 0;" src="https://player.mux.com/Om9afaax3au8c2eT7fV8byzEd4JvTCQ8?metadata-video-content-type=short&amp;metadata-video-id=8173e85f-bad2-4eab-b362-ba288df1367f&amp;metadata-video-stream-type=on-demand&amp;metadata-video-title=Jimmy%20Kimmel%20hits%20back%20at%20critics%20over%20Melania%20%E2%80%98widow%E2%80%99%20joke%20and%20refuses%20to%20apologize&amp;poster=https%3A%2F%2Fdailywireplus-v2.imgix.net%2Fimages%2Fshorts%2F5c8f5834-8d0d-4dc2-8468-622fb138f4ae.jpg&amp;autoplay=false&amp;accent-color=%23DB3D3B&amp;primary-color=%23ffffff&amp;secondary-color=%23000000" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></div>
Critics pointed out how if it were Democrats in power, a “joke” like that about the president’s death mere days before an assassination attempt would be treated like a national crisis.
Melania did not mince words in a scathing X post she shared Monday morning.
“Kimmel’s hateful and violent rhetoric is intended to divide our country,” she wrote. “His monologue about my family isn’t comedy- his words are corrosive and deepens the political sickness within America. People like Kimmel shouldn’t have the opportunity to enter our homes each evening to spread hate.”
“A coward, Kimmel hides behind ABC because he knows the network will keep running cover to protect him. Enough is enough.  It is time for ABC to take a stand,” the first lady added. “How many times will ABC’s leadership enable Kimmel’s atrocious behavior at the expense of our community.”
Kimmel’s fake roast aired two days before California educator Cole Allen, 31, rushed a Secret Service checkpoint at the Washington Hilton armed with multiple weapons. He managed to strike an officer in his bulletproof vest before being detained and transported to a medical facility.
President Trump and other high-ranking officials were evacuated safely from the event, and there were no fatalities.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt also blasted Kimmel for his “expectant widow” comments and called on ABC to reprimand the outspoken host.
&#8220;Who in their right mind says a wife would be &#8216;glowing&#8217; over the potential murder of her beloved husband?!” Leavitt said.
&#8220;And having experienced what I did with the First Lady on Saturday night, I can tell you that she was anything but that. This kind of rhetoric about the president, the first lady, and his supporters is completely deranged, and it&#8217;s unbelievable that the American people are consuming it night after night after night,&#8221; she added.
Kimmel’s show was briefly suspended in September after erroneous statements he made about the man who assassinated Charlie Kirk. He issued a statement afterwards, but did not apologize.

Jimmy Kimmel Hits Back At Critics Over Melania ‘Widow’ Joke And Refuses To Apologize

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This article is part of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/introducing-upstream-a-lifestyle-and-culture-section-of-the-daily-wire" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Upstream,</a> The Daily Wire’s new home for culture and lifestyle. Real human insight and human stories — from our featured writers to you.
***
“Our First Lady, Melania, is here,” <a href="https://youtu.be/GRjKhsJc95o?t=486">Jimmy Kimmel</a> said in a sketch for a hypothetical All-American White House Correspondents’ Dinner, where he imagined himself as host. “So beautiful … Mrs. Trump, you have a glow like an expectant widow.” Two days later, at the official dinner, the first lady would be forced to take cover behind her dinner table as gunfire erupted outside the <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2026/04/25/politics/live-news/trump-white-house-correspondents-dinner">press gala</a> in Washington, D.C.
Kimmel’s live audience, screaming with laughter, couldn’t have known what would unfold post-show. And maybe they forgot about the other near-tragedies for the Trumps. It’s been almost two years since President Donald Trump was <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NsfMPTiIuvY">shot in the ear</a> in Butler, Pennsylvania. And maybe the headlines about the two armed conspirators hoping to shoot their shots near <a href="https://www.wpbf.com/article/florida-mar-a-lago-intruder-shot-dead-3-months-before-incident-in-washington/71128207">Mar-a-Lago</a> and Trump International Golf Club are fading into the distance. 
Kimmel pressed on, bagging that low-hanging fruit like he was working the checkout at Target, following up the dead husband joke with laughs about the “Melania” documentary’s Rotten Tomatoes score (a website he says was “named after her husband’s testicles”) and an Epstein tie-in. 
Kimmel was practically throbbing with “witticisms.” Do not continue using if you experience symptoms of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trump_derangement_syndrome">TDS</a> such as sweaty palms, limited perspective, and blah late-night comedic instincts. 
Calling him a coward, Melania Trump later posted to <a href="https://x.com/flotus/status/2048769128513585618">X</a>, “Kimmel’s hateful and violent rhetoric is intended to divide our country. His monologue about my family isn’t comedy — his words are corrosive and [deepen] the political sickness within America.”
Melania turned 56 on Sunday, possibly still reeling from surviving what <a href="https://people.com/melania-trump-56th-brithday-after-husband-donald-said-whcd-shooting-was-traumatic-for-her-11958613">President Trump</a> called “a rather traumatic experience for her.” While Melania exudes Slovenian-style strength, it seems everyone piles on the First Lady any chance they get. She has filled the most visible unelected White House role for years. Is this really still an itch that needs to be scratched?  
My eyeballs first popped out of my head regarding Melania Trump Derangement Syndrome (MTDS) when first lady Jill Biden’s sensible pumps shuffled into the White House in 2021. Outlets such as <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CKR-RbIBABb/?img_index=1">The Cut</a> lamented the so-called “fashion drought” of the first Trump administration (dismissing Melania’s Jackie Kennedy-besting style) and praising hum-drum inauguration day fits by Michelle Obama, Kamala Harris, and Dr. Jill (with a Ph.D. in serving a look, apparently) in her <a href="https://www.vogue.com/article/markarian-designer-jill-biden-inauguration-day-look">tweed</a> dress, coat, and COVID-19 mask.
Never mind Melania’s actual career as a <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/columnist/2025/09/03/melania-trump-vanity-fair-vogue/85851129007/">fashion model</a> for GQ, Sports Illustrated, and Vanity Fair. That was before she entered 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue and was snubbed by <a href="https://www.vogue.com/slideshow/first-ladies-in-vogue">Vogue</a>, which has been documenting first ladies since 1929. Curious about U.S. history according to Condé Nast? Here’s a crash course: Mrs. Lou Henry Hoover, Eleanor Roosevelt, Mamie Eisenhower — everyone in between — Hillary Clinton, Laura Bush, Michelle Obama, [BLANK], Jill Biden, [BLANK]. No offense, but not every FLOTUS is a looker. And some of them are obviously Republicans.
When Vanity Fair reportedly flirted with the idea of finally putting Melania on its cover <a href="https://www.semafor.com/article/08/24/2025/vanity-fairs-new-cruise-director-will-have-to-choose-between-his-reporters-and-his-friends">in 2025</a>, an editor for the magazine told <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/columnist/2025/09/03/melania-trump-vanity-fair-vogue/85851129007/">the Daily Mail</a>, “I will walk out the motherf***ing door, and half my staff will follow me. We are not going to normalize this despot and his wife; we’re just not going to do it. We’re going to stand for what’s right.” 
Former first lady Michelle Obama, who graced the covers of <a href="https://x.com/grok/status/1985565486407680059">15 major fashion magazines</a> during her husband’s presidency, later complained about not getting the same “<a href="https://nypost.com/2025/11/03/us-news/michelle-obama-moans-she-endured-white-hot-glare-as-first-lady/?utm_campaign=nypost&amp;utm_source=twitter&amp;utm_medium=social">grace</a>” all the other first ladies got. Waah.
Even if you hate her husband with an orange-tinted passion, you can’t deny Melania’s elite status. Go ahead and make fun of her accent, but she speaks <a href="https://www.cnn.com/us/melania-trump-fast-facts">six languages</a> (Slovenian, French, Serbian, German, Italian, and English). She married up, bore and raised a son (who actually seems pretty well adjusted for growing up in <a href="https://www.realtor.com/news/celebrity-real-estate/melania-donald-trump-barron-childhood-home/">Trump Tower</a> and the White House), stuck by her man, and graciously puts up with an onslaught of mainstream donkey doo no matter what she does. 
Remember <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THr_seahKUI">Melania’s first all-white Christmas</a> at the White House, complete with a <a href="https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/articles/christmas-white-house-2017/#:~:text=Roosevelt's%201866%20edition%20of%20%E2%80%9CA,White%20House%20and%20features%20Mrs.">350-pound gingerbread house</a>, 53 bedazzled trees, and 31,000 holiday cookies? Yeah, the internet hated it! <a href="https://time.com/5039367/melania-trump-white-house-christmas-decorations-meme/">Memes</a> flooded the internet, featuring Melania as a winter witch and describing the minimalist decor as a reflection of her cold, dead soul. 
Her “Be Best” anti-bullying initiative, advocating for the mental health of kids suffering from online abuse, was bashed when she launched it in 2018. She battled headlines describing the platform as having “<a href="https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/the-childlike-strangeness-of-melania-trumps-be-best-campaign">childlike strangeness</a>” and calling her “<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/may/07/melania-trump-be-best-campaign-donald-trump">disingenuous</a>” for being married to a “bully” of a president and trying to help others.
&#8220;It is not news or surprising to me that critics and the media have chosen to ridicule me for speaking out on this issue, and that’s okay,” <a href="https://people.com/melania-trump-expand-be-best-initiative-second-term-8773443">Melania said</a> at the time. “I remain committed to tackling this topic because it will provide a better world for our children.” 
Notably, according to the <a href="https://news.un.org/en/story/2026/03/1167111">UN Human Rights Council</a>, 66% of surveyed kids in 2026 said online bullying is only getting worse. Maybe it would be a different story had there been a few flattering headlines about the first lady’s idea. But whatever, exploited children. Trump sucks! 
Just so we have all our historical ducks in a row, first ladies have been doing some pretty wild things since we started electing presidents. The original popularizer of “millennial pink,” Mamie Eisenhower, decorated with so much of it that the press started referring to the White House as the “<a href="https://www.facebook.com/WhiteHouseHistory/posts/happy-national-pink-day-first-lady-mamie-eisenhower-loved-pink-so-much-so-that-t/194044859642652/">Pink Palace</a>.” Mary Todd Lincoln held literal <a href="https://www.whitehousehistory.org/seances-in-the-red-room">séances</a> (some with Abe!) in the White House to cope with her children’s deaths. And gaining fame as the “secret president,” <a href="https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/1600/first-ladies/edithwilson">Edith Wilson</a> basically ran the country when Woodrow Wilson suffered a paralyzing stroke while in office, “<a href="https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2001-dec-16-bk-anthony16-story.html">seizing control</a>” of presidential duties she was not elected to do. 
And we’re supposed to believe Melania wearing a <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-45853364">$39 Zara jacket</a> that said “I really don’t care, do you?” was the worst?
Until Melania entered the scene, America largely gave every first lady a pass for rising to the occasion in a role they were compelled to agree to and crush. Read to kids, pretend to help choose the state dinner menu, and decorate for every holiday. You have “one” job; better nail it in pantyhose, lady.
Maybe you can blame the ire toward Melania on the clickable outrage of the media cycle. Someday soon, we’ll all be focused on a different POTUS and every last detail of his or her ever-loving spouse. But for now, wouldn’t it be nice if we could critique the main character and not the woman keeping the first family afloat? I’m inclined to agree with Melania, who stated on <a href="https://x.com/dalepartridge/status/2028482118918283663?s=46">X</a>, “Enough is enough.”

Being First Lady Is Hard. Being Melania Trump Is Something Else.

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President Donald Trump on Monday called on ABC to fire late-night host Jimmy Kimmel, accusing the comedian of making a &#8220;despicable call to violence&#8221; after joking about first lady Melania Trump becoming a widow.
Trump took to Truth Social to respond to Kimmel&#8217;s White House Correspondents&#8217; Dinner bit, which the late-night host used to mock the president, first lady, and administration officials. In his bit, which Kimmel delivered at his fake White House Correspondents&#8217; Dinner two days before the real event, the comedian pretended to address Melania Trump in the audience, saying, &#8220;You have a glow like an expectant widow.&#8221;
Trump <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116477838570626860">said</a> on Monday that Kimmel should be &#8220;immediately fired.&#8221;
&#8220;Wow, Jimmy Kimmel, who is in no way funny as attested to by his terrible Television Ratings, made a statement on his Show that is really shocking,&#8221; Trump wrote. &#8220;He showed a fake video of the First Lady, Melania, and our son, Barron, like they were actually sitting in his studio, listening to him speak, which they weren’t, and never would be. He then stated, &#8216;Our First Lady, Melania, is here. Look at Melania, so beautiful. Mrs. Trump, you have a glow like an expectant widow.'&#8221;
Trump argued the joke crossed a line, pointing to a security incident at the White House Correspondents&#8217; Dinner that followed days later on Saturday.
&#8220;A day later a lunatic tried entering the ballroom of the White House Correspondents Dinner, loaded up with a shotgun, handgun, and many knives. He was there for a very obvious and sinister reason,&#8221; Trump added. &#8220;I appreciate that so many people are incensed by Kimmel’s despicable call to violence, and normally would not be responsive to anything that he said but, this is something far beyond the pale.&#8221;
Two days after Kimmel joked about Melania Trump becoming a widow, a gunman charged past security at the White House Correspondents&#8217; dinner with intentions of targeting the president and top administration officials, authorities said. According to officials, the suspect, identified as Cole Tomas Allen of Torrance, California, was neutralized by Secret Service agents before he was able to breach the ballroom. In his manifesto, Allen referred to Trump as a &#8220;pedophile, rapist, and traitor.&#8221;
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt also condemned Kimmel during a White House briefing on Monday.
&#8220;Who in their right mind says a wife would be glowing over the potential murder of her beloved husband?&#8221; Leavitt asked. &#8220;This kind of rhetoric about the president, the first lady, and his supporters is completely deranged and it&#8217;s unbelievable that the American people are consuming it night after night after night.&#8221;  <iframe style="aspect-ratio: 9/16; max-width: 220px; display: flex; justify-content: center; width: 100%; margin: 20px auto 5px; border: 0;" src="https://player.mux.com/FaMBPwcUpjOnpuSYIjn3dnpPZIQ02ONEL?metadata-video-content-type=short&amp;metadata-video-id=5868376a-c019-443f-9c82-120d06268798&amp;metadata-video-stream-type=on-demand&amp;metadata-video-title=Leavitt%20questions%20Kimmel%E2%80%99s%20sanity%20after%20Melania%20%E2%80%98widow%E2%80%99%20remark%20he%20called%20a%20%E2%80%98joke%E2%80%99&amp;poster=https%3A%2F%2Fdailywireplus-v2.imgix.net%2Fimages%2Fshorts%2Fec236e11-f0ad-41ca-a8ea-4be2842c17e4.jpg&amp;autoplay=false&amp;accent-color=%23DB3D3B&amp;primary-color=%23ffffff&amp;secondary-color=%23000000" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
Earlier in the day, the first lady <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/read-it-melania-trump-responds-to-kimmels-hateful-monologue-after-white-house-dinner-shooting?topStoryPosition=undefined&amp;author=Amanda+Harding&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=1&amp;rowHeadline=Top+Stories&amp;rowType=Top+Stories&amp;title=READ+IT%3A+Melania+Trump+Responds+To+Kimmel%E2%80%99s+%E2%80%98Hateful%E2%80%99+Monologue+After+White+House+Dinner+Shooting">responded</a> to Kimmel&#8217;s monologue, saying his &#8220;hateful and violent rhetoric is intended to divide our country.&#8221;
&#8220;People like Kimmel shouldn’t have the opportunity to enter our homes each evening to spread hate,&#8221; Melania Trump added.
It&#8217;s not the first time that Kimmel has gotten into hot water with Trump over a comment he made regarding political violence. Kimmel was suspended last year after saying that the assassin who killed conservative commentator Charlie Kirk was a Trump supporter. Kimmel was suspended by ABC for a week after the remark, and Trump was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/a-true-bunch-of-losers-trump-rips-into-abc-for-ending-jimmy-kimmel-suspension" target="_blank" rel="noopener">incensed</a> when the network allowed the late-night host to return.

Jimmy Kimmel/Melania Trump/Donald Trump

Trump Wants Kimmel Fired Over ‘Despicable’ Assassination Comment

Shooting

WASHINGTON—The First Lady of the United States denied any connection to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein in an unexpected statement on Thursday afternoon, warning the public: &#8220;The lies linking me with the disgraceful Jeffrey Epstein need to end today.&#8221;
&#8220;The individuals lying about me are devoid of ethical standards, humility, and respect,&#8221; First Lady Melania Trump said in an address to the country. &#8220;I do not object to their ignorance, but rather, I reject their mean-spirited attempts to defame my reputation.&#8221;
&#8220;I have never been friends with Epstein,&#8221; she went on. &#8220;Donald and I were invited to the same parties as Epstein from time to time, since overlapping in social circles is common in New York City and Palm Beach.&#8221;
Her statement marks the first time that Melania Trump, as First Lady, has publicly addressed Epstein.
It is unclear what prompted the First Lady to speak out on the topic at this point in time — Epstein&#8217;s name had mostly departed the national news cycle, and both the White House and President Donald Trump have shown a strong distaste for discussing the topic. That distaste was exacerbated by the fervor of Democratic lawmakers, who have attempted to use the Epstein news cycle in their favor against the president.
The First Lady also said on Thursday that she never had a relationship with Epstein&#8217;s cohort, Ghislaine Maxwell, and she referenced an email she had apparently sent to Maxwell, saying that it &#8220;cannot be categorized as anything more than a casual correspondence.&#8221;
&#8220;My polite reply to her email doesn’t amount to anything more than a trivial note,&#8221; she added. &#8220;I am not Epstein’s victim. Epstein did not introduce me to Donald Trump. I met my husband, by chance, at a New York City party in 1998. This initial encounter with my husband is documented in detail in my book, &#8216;MELANIA.'&#8221;
&#8220;The first time I crossed paths with Epstein was in the year 2000, at an event Donald and I attended together,&#8221; the First Lady explained. &#8220;At the time, I had never met Epstein and had no knowledge of his criminal undertakings. Numerous fake images and statements about Epstein and me have been circulating on social media for years now. Be cautious about what you believe.  These images and stories are completely false.&#8221;
Melania Trump emphasized that she is &#8220;not a witness or a named witness&#8221; connected to any of Epstein&#8217;s crimes.
<div id="attachment_1075167" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-lies-need-to-end-today-melania-trump-denies-any-connections-to-jeffrey-epstein/us-politics-first-lady-trump-3" rel="attachment wp-att-1075167"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1075167" class="wp-image-1075167 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/GettyImages-2269958372-1-864x576.jpg" alt="" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/GettyImages-2269958372-1-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/GettyImages-2269958372-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/GettyImages-2269958372-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/GettyImages-2269958372-1.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" /></a>(Photo by Mandel NGAN / AFP via Getty Images)</div>
&#8220;My name has never appeared in court documents, depositions, victim statements, or FBI interviews surrounding the Epstein matter,&#8221; she said. &#8220;I have never had any knowledge of Epstein’s abuse of his victims.  I was never involved in any capacity — I was not a participant, was never on Epstein’s plane, and never visited his private island. I have never been legally accused or convicted of a crime in connection with Epstein’s sex trafficking, abuse of minors, and other repulsive behavior.&#8221;
Those who attempt to link her to Epstein are trying to damage her name for political and financial reasons, she said, calling the claims &#8220;false smears&#8221; from &#8220;mean-spirited and politically motivated individuals and entities.&#8221;
The First Lady says that she and her attorneys have successfully fought back against Epstein-related claims against her, noting that they will continue to fight to protect her reputation.
&#8220;To date, several individuals and companies have been legally obligated to publicly apologize and retract their lies about me, such as The Daily Beast, James Carville, and HarperCollins UK,&#8221; she said.
She also called for Congress to hold a hearing for the Epstein victims, one &#8220;specifically centered around the survivors.&#8221; She called for the victims to testify under oath in front of Congress and have their testimonies &#8220;permanently entered into the Congressional Record.&#8221;
&#8220;Now is the time for Congress to act,&#8221; she said. &#8220;Epstein was not alone. Several prominent male executives resigned from their powerful positions after this matter became widely politicized. Of course, this doesn’t amount to guilt, but we still must work openly and transparently to uncover the truth.&#8221;

US-POLITICS-FIRST LADY-TRUMP

‘The Lies…Need To End Today’: Melania Trump Stuns With Appearance To Deny Jeffrey Epstein Claims

Ghislaine Maxwell

Jeffrey Epstein

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) sent a letter to the White House suggesting that First Lady Melania Trump wear a redesigned potato sack — and have children roll potatoes instead of eggs — at the 2026 White House Easter Egg Roll.
Touting the success of &#8220;The Haute Potato Collection&#8221; at New York City&#8217;s Fashion Week — a collection based on the iconic potato sack dress worn by actress Marilyn Monroe in 1951 — PETA founder Ingrid Newkirk promised the first lady a reimagined — and far more glamorous — potato sack creation for the White House&#8217;s Easter festivities.
&#8220;We would be delighted to present you with a unique dress created from vintage Idaho potato sacks—like those recently featured during New York Fashion Week (inspired by the potato sack dress famously worn by Marilyn Monroe) if you’ll redesign the White House Easter Egg Roll to become the White House Easter Potato Roll, a fabulously modern move,&#8221; Newkirk wrote.
She went on to note that Trump had the opportunity to influence the way people looked at Easter eggs going forward — and could open the door for more families viewing potatoes as a reasonable alternative.
&#8220;As first lady, you have tremendous influence to elevate and reimagine outdated customs such as this and to add a patriotic angle that has been lacking,&#8221; Newkirk continued, arguing that potatoes could be dyed and decorated in the same way that eggs have been — and that they lend themselves to additional activities — &#8220;like sack races and &#8216;hot potato&#8217; games.&#8221;
&#8220;Swapping out eggs for potatoes would feel not only patriotic and familiar but also delightfully new, offering children the same hands-on fun while reflecting the core Christian value of kindness to all creation in the time of Easter renewal and joy,&#8221; she added.
The annual Easter Egg Roll typically uses approximately 30,000 hard-boiled eggs, most of which are small to medium in size and not usually packaged for retail. They are donated for the event by the American Egg Board.

First Lady Melania Trump Visits Children’s Inn At The National Institutes For Health On Valentine’s Day

SEE IT: PETA Wants To Dress Melania For Easter In A Stylish Potato Sack

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First Lady Melania Trump will &#8220;make history&#8221; on Monday as the United States takes over the United Nations Security Council presidency and she becomes the first sitting First Lady to control the gavel and address the body.
Trump&#8217;s speech, set to focus on achieving peace through better education, will not just mark the first time an American First Lady has presided over the Security Council — it will also be the first time a sitting First Lady from any member nation has done so.
The Office of the First Lady released a statement on Monday, declaring, &#8220;First Lady Melania Trump is set to make history at the United Nations, taking the gavel as the United States assumes the Security Council Presidency to emphasize education’s role in advancing tolerance and world peace.&#8221;
The statement went on to say that Trump would preside over the council as members addressed topics relating to &#8220;education, technology, peace, and security.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
First Lady Melania Trump to Preside Over U.N. Security Council Calling for Peace Through Education
Today at 3PM ET <a href="https://t.co/d2UXUdNmhh">pic.twitter.com/d2UXUdNmhh</a>
— Office of the First Lady (@FirstLadyOffice) <a href="https://twitter.com/FirstLadyOffice/status/2028532475400425642?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 2, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
U.S. Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz gave a brief statement to Fox News Digital, saying that given Melania Trump&#8217;s long history of being &#8220;a passionate and tireless advocate for children,&#8221; it was only &#8220;fitting&#8221; that she address the Security Council to promote education and advocate for its use as a path to peace.
&#8220;Her message of helping the helpless through education and technology fits exactly with our mission at the U.N., to achieve meaningful and lasting peace,&#8221; Waltz explained. &#8220;As a green beret and now diplomat, I have seen firsthand that peace prevails where children are taught and not terrorized.&#8221;
Melania Trump&#8217;s personal initiatives have almost always been geared toward children, beginning with her BE BEST program announced in 2018 — which promoted online safety and anti-cyber-bullying programs for children, as well as efforts to combat opioid addiction. In her time away from the White House, she also introduced Fostering the Future to promote digital safety and AI education — and to provide scholarship funds for children in the foster care system.

US-POLITICS-TRUMP

First Lady Melania Trump To Make History, Preside Over United Nations Security Council

Global Politics

Iran

United Nations

WASHINGTON — Melania Trump has reunited even more Russian and Ukrainian children with their families today, the First Lady&#8217;s office announced on Thursday.
The news marks the third time that the First Lady has helped to bring children back to their families after these children were separated due to the Russia and Ukraine war.
&#8220;I appreciate that Russia and Ukraine are dedicated to bringing back the children who have been displaced because of the circumstances surrounding this conflict,&#8221; Melania Trump said in a statement on Thursday. &#8220;Although all parties are cooperating and our communications remain robust, I urge Russia and Ukraine to intensify their efforts to ensure the safe return of every child to their families and guardians.”
“Today marks the third reunification since I have been working strategically with both nations,&#8221; she added. &#8220;I have no doubt more progress will come.”
The First Lady and her representative helping with the negotiations &#8220;continue to engage&#8221; in these conversations with both Russia and Ukraine.
In October, the First Lady <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/melania-trump-persuaded-putin-to-help-her-reunite-children-displaced-during-russia-ukraine-war">revealed that she had been in frequent contact</a> with Russian President Vladimir Putin as she sought to bring home children displaced by the Russia-Ukraine war, sharing at the time that she had reunited eight Ukrainian children with their families.
“President Putin and I have had an open channel of communication regarding the welfare of these children,” the first lady explained during a press conference at the White House, sharing that Putin responded to her August plea to help the children with his own letter, and willingly agreed to engage with her. “For the past few months, both sides have participated in several back channel meetings and calls, all in good faith.”
“Each child has lived in turmoil because of the war in Ukraine,” she said. “Three were separated from their parents and displaced to the Russian Federation because of frontline fighting. The other five were separated from family members across borders because of the conflict, including one young girl who has now been reunited from Ukraine to Russia.”
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<div id="attachment_1043309" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/for-the-third-time-melania-trump-reunites-russian-ukrainian-children-with-their-families/melania-trump-meets-with-released-american-israeli-hostage-keith-siegel" rel="attachment wp-att-1043309"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1043309" class="wp-image-1043309 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-2259906303-864x576.jpg" alt="" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-2259906303-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-2259906303-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-2259906303-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-2259906303.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" /></a>(Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)</div>
The First Lady has been unusually public-facing this year, partially due to the release of her documentary film, &#8220;Melania,&#8221; which premiered at the Kennedy Center with an elegant black and white soiree attended by top members of the president&#8217;s administration and many staff.
On February 4, the First Lady met with Keith and Aviva Siegel at the White House, where they had a private, sit-down conversation before bringing in the press. Hamas forcibly took the Siegels from their home in Kibbutz Kfar Aza on October 7, 2023, and held them hostage. The terrorist group held Aviva Siegel hostage for 51 days, and Keith Siegel for 484 days.
Hamas released Aviva Siegel during the first hostage deal in November 2023, then released her husband on February 1, 2025, during a ceasefire brokered by the president before he even took office. Keith Siegel&#8217;s release came after his wife met with both Donald Trump and Melania Trump.
One of these meetings, between Melania Trump and Aviva Siegel, was included in the first lady’s new film, “Melania.&#8221; The film showed footage of Melania Trump and Aviva Siegel sharing an emotional moment in Manhattan. Melania Trump hugs Siegel as she weeps into her shoulder, and the first lady promises to pray for her husband, who was still in captivity.
One of the final title cards in “Melania” states that the first lady “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.” And the First Lady states in the film: “I will always use my influence and power to fight for those in need.&#8221;

First Lady Melania Trump Meets Freed Israeli-American Hostage Keith Siegel

For The Third Time, Melania Trump Reunites Russian, Ukrainian Children With Their Families

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Hollywood is still in denial that &#8220;Melania,&#8221; a documentary about first lady Melania Trump and wife of President Donald Trump, is outperforming expectations, floating conspiracy theories that include claims the film&#8217;s positive audience reviews are fake. But the owner of Rotten Tomatoes says those glowing fan responses are 100% real.
“There has been no bot manipulation on the audience reviews for the ‘Melania’ documentary,” Versant, the parent company of the popular review aggregator, said in a <a href="https://variety.com/2026/film/news/melania-rotten-tomatoes-audience-score-bots-1236654401/">statement</a> to Variety. “Reviews displayed on the Popcornmeter are VERIFIED reviews, meaning it has been verified that users have bought a ticket to the film.”
“Melania” currently has one of the largest disparities between critics’ and audience scores on the site, with reviewers <a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/melania" target="_blank" rel="noopener">giving the film</a> a 7% rating and moviegoers giving it a 99% rating. About 75% of the audience was women aged 55 and older. 
Avowed leftist late-night host Jimmy Kimmel is one of Hollywood’s most perplexed, as he mentioned during his monologue on Wednesday. 
“As of tonight, Melania has a score of 5% on Rotten Tomatoes from the critics. That is very low. To put that in perspective, that is 1% lower than ‘Gigli.’ The audience score for ‘Melania’ is 99% positive, which is 1% higher than ‘The Godfather.’ And I’m sure Donald J. Corleone had nothing to do with that at all,” he said. 
“We need to get to the bottom of this,” Kimmel went on. “Send in Tulsi Gabbard and the FBI! Seize the ticket machines, the popcorn buckets, the box office receipts, at every multiplex in America!”
Movie industry insiders projected an abysmal opening weekend for “Melania,” but were quickly proven wrong when it raked in around $7 million.
At the premiere in Washington, D.C. last week, Melania told reporters that success, to her, didn’t depend on box office numbers.
“I’m very proud of the film, so people may like it, may [not] like it, and that’s their choice,” the first lady told CNN.
“We achieved what we want to achieve,” Melania later added. “For myself, it’s already successful. I’m very proud of what we did.”
“Melania” is directed by Brett Ratner, who is best known for the “Rush Hour” franchise. The documentary provides a glimpse into Melania&#8217;s behind-the-scenes world during the 20 days leading up to her husband&#8217;s second inauguration.
The verified reviewers on Rotten Tomatoes had plenty of positive things to say. 
“An inside look at inaugural preparations, done in style,” one verified reviewer wrote. “Also getting to know our First Lady in a more personal way. The lady who is smart, elegant, stylish, beautiful &amp; someone who loves this country &amp; appreciates all that it offers.”
“Wow. Thought I may like it for the fashion take on it. But it was so much more. Absolutely loved it. Regardless if you like her or not- this documentary was really, really good,” another moviegoer agreed.

Melania

Rotten Tomatoes Confirms ‘Melania’ 99% Audience Score Is Real, Not Bots

Box Office

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Film critics <a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/becoming_2020_2/reviews/top-critics">raved</a> over &#8220;Becoming,&#8221; the fawning 2020 documentary about former First Lady Michelle Obama, produced by Michelle Obama.
<blockquote>The Detroit News: It&#8217;s a warm latte, delivered to you in your favorite mug.
NPR: Even with its flaws, Becoming is a compelling documentary, offering a carefully revealing look at a whip smart, ferociously practical woman trying to understand how her historic time in the White House changed herself, her family and the nation. </blockquote>
Now, see if you can detect a <a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/melania/reviews/top-critics">slight tonal shift</a> in reviews for “Melania,” the new documentary capturing First Lady Melania Trump, who also produced the film, as she moves back into 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW.
<blockquote>Globe and Mail: Ratner has accidentally delivered the ultimate chronicle of 21st-century excess and greed, a world of casual yet immense cruelty covered in flop sweat and gold glitter.
Variety: A documentary that never comes to life. It’s a “portrait” of the First Lady of the United States, but it’s so orchestrated and airbrushed and stage-managed that it barely rises to the level of a shameless infomercial.</blockquote>
Several reviews compared the film to Nazi propaganda. One critic gave “Melania” a “rotten” score at Rotten Tomatoes while admitting <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/melania-reviews-critic-didnt-watch/">he never actually saw the film</a>. (That review was quickly removed from the critical aggregator site)
<div id="attachment_1040041" style="width: 394px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1040041" class="size-large wp-image-1040041" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/Melania-poster-384x576.jpg" alt="Amazon MGM Studios. Muse Films. New Element Media. RatPac Entertainment." width="384" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/Melania-poster-384x576.jpg 384w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/Melania-poster-200x300.jpg 200w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/Melania-poster-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/Melania-poster.jpg 999w" sizes=" (max-width: 384px) 100vw, 384px" />Amazon MGM Studios.</div>
The Guardian’s review compared the movie to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/jan/30/melania-review-trump-film-is-a-gilded-trash-remake-of-the-zone-of-interest">2024’s “The Zone of Interest.”</a> That well-received drama depicted a Nazi family living next door to a concentration camp.
The reviewer didn’t stop there, mocking FLOTUS’s face and voice, a no-no in critical circles. Review the film, not the physical attributes of the people on screen. When a Variety scribe suggested actress Carey Mulligan wasn’t pretty enough to play the femme fatale in 2020’s “Promising Young Woman,” the outlet <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2021/jan/28/variety-apology-carey-mulligan-film-critics">uttered an apology</a> directly to the actress.
For some reason, that unwritten rule didn’t apply to “Melania.” Nor should FLOTUS expect an apology any time soon.
The chasm between movie critics and general audiences over “Melania” may be the new, startling benchmark. Rotten Tomatoes lists the film as having a 7% “Rotten” score from movie scribes and <a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/melania">a 99 percent “fresh”</a> rating from the public at large.
Those blistering critiques, delivered by a film body that leans overwhelmingly to the Left, were just part of the media’s war on “Melania.”
The said war began before “Melania” hit American theaters on January 30. Outlet after outlet preened over reports of <a href="https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/movies/articles/melania-trump-promotes-film-amid-210206431.html">poor pre-release ticket sales</a>. So did <a href="https://www.aol.com/lifestyle/stephen-colbert-roasts-melania-documentary-144531012.html">Stephen Colbert of “The Late Show” fame.</a>
Empty theaters, reporters cried, suggested “Melania” would underperform even modest expectations. It did the opposite, earning north of $7 million in its opening frame. Recent documentaries made far, far less.
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">“Mr. Nobody Against Putin” &#8211; $19K to date in U.S.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">“Orwell: 2+2=5” &#8211; $355K in U.S.</li>
</ul>
For context, most documentaries are lucky to earn $1 million in theaters. “Melania,” media voices argued, might not make it to the $3 million mark. And, with a gaudy $40 million price tag courtesy of Jeff Bezos’ Amazon, that’s a debacle.
Except “Melania” delivered the biggest <a href="https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/insight/melania-opens-with-decade-best-documentary-debut/gm-8AE15378FA?gemSnapshotKey=8AE15378FA-snapshot-4&amp;ocid=AARDHP">documentary debut in a decade</a>. The film <a href="https://www.breitbart.com/entertainment/2026/02/05/nolte-exclusive-melania-gains-more-box-office-steam-with-wednesdays-1-25-million-haul/">has kept earning since then</a>. 
<div id="attachment_1040047" style="width: 632px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1040047" class="size-large wp-image-1040047" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/The-Donald-and-Mel-622x576.jpg" alt="Amazon MGM Studios. Muse Films. New Element Media. RatPac Entertainment." width="622" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/The-Donald-and-Mel-622x576.jpg 622w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/The-Donald-and-Mel-300x278.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/The-Donald-and-Mel-768x712.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/The-Donald-and-Mel.jpg 1379w" sizes=" (max-width: 622px) 100vw, 622px" />Amazon MGM Studios.</div>
USA Today argued it’s <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/columnist/2026/01/30/melania-movie-amazon-documentary-trump/88415378007/">“patriotic” to slam “Melania</a>.”
To be the subject of a documentary, one would think you’d have to accomplish something beyond being a complicit grifter in two of the most cruel, dishonest, and dangerous presidential terms in American history.
Indiewire said the film’s box office success <a href="https://www.indiewire.com/features/commentary/melania-box-office-documentary-filmmakers-worried-1235177403/">is terrible news for the documentary genre</a>.  Suddenly, a rising tide doesn’t lift all boats.
It’s a scary time for documentarians. Will they have to start working with the likes of Brett Ratner to make infomercials that please Donald Trump to pay the bills? The success of “Melania” suggests they might.
Meanwhile, a news media landscape that routinely decries review bombing – the practice of slagging a film or TV show sight unseen due to a variety of pre-release complaints, like overt wokeness – suddenly <a href="https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2026/01/melania-documentary-reviews-deleted-letterboxd/">cheered on review bombing of “Melania.”</a>
NPR needed something negative to share about the film. So it dug into the demographic breakdown of movie patrons and determined a large number of <a href="https://www.npr.org/2026/02/02/nx-s1-5693775/melania-documentary-box-office-audience">older white women</a> lined up to see “Melania.”
How often do media outlets report on the demographics of a given film? Hint: Not very often. NPR likely sought to portray the film’s fan base as overwhelmingly white (with a touch of supremacy?)
A few outlets have thrown all credibility to the wind to savage “Melania.” The far-Left Daily Beast took the crown here. The site has repeatedly called the film a “<a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-desperately-tries-to-juice-melania-doc-after-box-office-flop/">flop,”</a> although it’s on pace to pass 2024’s “<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/videos/am-i-racist?elementPosition=1&amp;row=1&amp;rowHeadline=Shows+and+Movies&amp;rowType=Portrait+Show+Carousel">Am I Racist?</a>” as the most successful documentary of the last decade.
<div id="attachment_819849" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/videos/am-i-racist?elementPosition=1&amp;row=1&amp;rowHeadline=Shows+and+Movies&amp;rowType=Portrait+Show+Carousel"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-819849" class="size-large wp-image-819849" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/00_AIR_16x9_Streaming_V02-1024x576.jpg" alt="Am I Racist?" width="1024" height="576" /></a>DailyWire+</div>
“Melania” expands its release pattern in its second weekend, upping the theatrical count to 2,000 screens. Even if the film underperforms from here, the theatrical release has done its job.
Amazon likely viewed the film all along as a Prime Video draw, first and foremost. The documentary will draw attention and eyeballs to the streaming service, giving it a competitive title in a cutthroat streaming landscape. The film’s theatrical bow is an extended promotion for its final, digital destination.
Why all the unprofessional hate? The <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/politics-news/melania-trump-brett-ratner-documentary-interview-1236489826/">First Lady may have said it best</a> at the premiere of her own movie.
“Superior storytelling drives culture and in turn moves markets.”
Legacy Media outlets fear a conservative encroachment on their turf most of all.
* * *
Christian Toto is an award-winning journalist, movie critic, and editor of <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HollywoodInToto.com</a>. He previously served as associate editor with Breitbart News’ Big Hollywood. Follow him at <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HollywoodInToto.com</a>.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Amazon MGM’s “Melania” World Premiere

The Left-Wing Media Is Losing Its Mind Over ‘Melania’

The Left-Wing Media Is Losing Its Mind Over 'Melania'

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Rotten Tomatoes

Late-night court jester Jimmy Kimmel took to his stage this week to deliver a predictably smug eulogy for the documentary Melania, sneering at the film’s $7 million opening as nothing more than a &#8220;rigged&#8221; Hollywood accounting trick.
Kimmel, who has built a career on the very &#8220;clique&#8221; culture he claims to despise, mocked the film’s record-breaking status as the best non-musical documentary debut in a decade. &#8220;That’s just a fancy way of saying it only lost tens of millions of dollars,&#8221; Kimmel quipped, visibly irked that a project associated with the Trump name could still command a box office presence.
The monologue quickly descended into Kimmel&#8217;s signature brand of elitist condescension. He delighted in reports of bulk ticket purchases, comparing the film’s strategy to the RNC’s support of Donald Trump Jr.’s bestseller in 2019 — a book Kimmel claimed &#8220;no one has ever opened.&#8221;
He saved his sharpest vitriol for the American heartland, mocking a group of female congregants from a Dallas megachurch who wore gowns inspired by the First Lady. In a line that perfectly captured the late-night divide, he labeled the women the &#8220;dumb as a Rockettes,&#8221; signaling once again that the only thing Kimmel finds funnier than his own jokes is the perceived ignorance of anyone living outside the 310 area code.
Kimmel’s disdain for the &#8220;unwashed masses&#8221; was likely based on a more technical, if equally skeptical, <a href="https://tombrueggemann.substack.com/p/five-box-office-results-this-weekend">Substack post</a> by former IndieWire editor Tom Brueggeman. Brueggeman attempted to reconcile the $7 million haul with reports of &#8220;empty theaters&#8221; in deep-blue cities, suggesting the numbers were propped up by:
<ul>
<li>Pity Purchases: &#8220;Sketchy&#8221; documentation of outside groups buying blocks of tickets to distribute for free to senior centers and activists.</li>
<li>MAGA Spite: A surge in sales fueled by a desire to &#8220;own the libs&#8221; after the media began preemptively declaring the film a flop.</li>
<li>Studio Math: Studio-provided estimates that conveniently projected a minimal Sunday drop to inflate the final weekend total.</li>
</ul>
To Kimmel, the film’s 99% audience score — higher than The Godfather — was the ultimate punchline. &#8220;I’m sure Donald J. Corleone had nothing to do with that at all,&#8221; he smirked. For the late-night host, it seems the only thing more offensive than Melania Trump’s success is the fact that millions of Americans still refuse to take their cues from his teleprompter.
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MixCollage-05-Feb-2026-12-44-PM-6735

‘Dumb As Rockettes’: Jimmy Kimmel Bashes ‘Melania,’ Insults Fans Of Documentary

Jimmy Kimmel Bashes 'Melania' Documentary, Insults Fans As 'Dumb As Rockettes'

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