Melania Trump at the screening of “Melania” at the Kennedy Center last week. Doug Mills/The New York Times

critic’s notebook

Everyone Is Missing the Point About the ‘Melania’ Movie

It’s not really a movie at all. It’s a marketing deck.

By Vanessa Friedman
Feb. 3, 2026

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At the special screening at the White House for guests like Tim Cook and Queen Rania of Jordan (who is in the movie), attendees were treated to white popcorn buckets with “Melania” in black letters, black-and-white “Melania” cookies and black-and-white cake pops. The black Dior dress with Alaïa belt Mrs. Trump wore to ring the bell at the New York Stock Exchange matched the black carpet she chose for the premiere, which matched the black Dolce & Gabbana suit and the towering black heels she wore to make her entrance.

And, of course, the logo of her production company, Muse Films, with the spiky silver-white M that emerges from the dark like the sign of a superhero to start the film.

All of this should not exactly be a surprise, given the Trump family’s commitment to personal brand building, which has extended from cologne and sneakers to national monuments. Even Kai Trump, Mr. Trump’s granddaughter, has her own brand. But it does take everything to a new level.

Vanessa Friedman has been the fashion director and chief fashion critic for The Times since 2014.

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