First lady Melania Trump speaks candidly about security concerns in the aftermath of two assassination attempts against President Donald Trump in her new documentary, Melania, which opened in theaters Friday—one day after premiering at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.
The film tracks Melania over the 20 days leading up to Trump’s second inauguration in January 2025, showing behind-the-scenes planning as she navigates heightened fear and tighter protection.
Why It Matters
During the 2024 campaign, Trump survived two separate incidents that authorities described as assassination attempts.
In July 2024, he was shot and struck in the ear at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. Authorities said 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks fired from a rooftop roughly 150 yards away, and Trump was seen bleeding as Secret Service agents rushed him offstage.
In September 2024, authorities arrested 58-year-old Ryan Wesley Routh after a Secret Service agent spotted the barrel of a rifle through a fence while Trump was golfing in West Palm Beach—an incident officials described as a second apparent attempt on his life.
The 104-minute documentary is among the priciest ever made: Amazon paid $40 million for the project and another $35 million for marketing, totaling about $75 million.
What To Know
Throughout the documentary, Melania is shown constantly accompanied by Secret Service agents, particularly while traveling. In one scene focused on inauguration logistics, she raises pointed questions about the risks of public exposure—especially during a parade.
“How did this area get secured?” she asks in a planning meeting. “Does everybody get screened? Are we getting out of the car?”
She continues: “Because if we go out, I think people will already know where we would go out. So it’s kind of like, how could that be safe? Especially with the last year, what’s going on and stuff. I have concerns, honestly.”
After the July shooting, Melania also released a public statement reflecting on how close her family felt to disaster.
“When I watched that violent bullet strike my husband, Donald, I realized my life, and Barron’s life, were on the brink of devastating change,” she wrote. She added: “A monster who recognized my husband as an inhuman political machine attempted to ring out Donald’s passion- his laughter, ingenuity, love of music, and inspiration.”
In the film, she also discusses the impact on their teenage son, Barron Trump, noting his reluctance to leave the vehicle in public settings.
“[Barron] will not go out of the car. I respect that. That’s his decision,” she says.
Later, when the inauguration was moved indoors due to weather, Melania describes feeling a rare sense of relief.
“In truth, I was relieved,” she says. “Being in a more secure and closed space brought a certain peace of mind.”
What Happens Next
A screening in New York City on Friday drew a small audience, and reports elsewhere have similarly described sparse turnout and muted early box-office expectations. A WIRED analysis found just two sold-out theaters in the U.S. so far—one in Florida and one in Missouri.
