Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump made more than $10m from the controversial Melania documentary, a newly released ethics filing has revealed.
The 927-page financial disclosure report, released by the U.S. Office of Government Ethics, showed that the Trump family received $10.71m in 2025 from the movie’s licensing agreement.
The filing also showed that Melania earned $521,000 from the licensing agreement for her 2024 memoir, also titled Melania.
The figures have put fresh attention on the Amazon MGM Studios documentary, which drew scrutiny over its cost, political timing and connection to the Trump family.
The Brett Ratner-directed film was produced by Melania’s company, Muse Films, and released in 1,500 theatres on January 30.
It grossed $16.7m worldwide after making an estimated $7m in ticket sales during its opening weekend.
Before the film’s release, President Trump publicly urged his supporters to buy tickets, describing the documentary as a “must watch” and claiming tickets were selling out fast.
The documentary later landed on Amazon Prime Video, where Melania celebrated its performance as the most-watched movie on the platform’s chart shortly after release.
The 104-minute film followed the First Lady in the final 20 days before Trump’s second inauguration.
It showed her preparing for her return to the White House, including dress fittings, brief moments with the president and behind-the-scenes arrangements for the inauguration.
But the movie also became a political flashpoint after reports claimed Amazon spent heavily on the project.
The studio reportedly committed $75m to the documentary, including $40m to acquire the release rights and $35m for marketing.
That huge figure raised eyebrows among critics, especially because Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has had business interests that could be affected by federal policy.
Democratic lawmakers, including Senator Elizabeth Warren and Representative Hank Johnson, questioned whether the deal was an attempt to gain favour with the Trump administration.
They launched scrutiny into what they described as a possible “pay-to-play” arrangement involving Amazon and the Trump family.
The lawmakers raised concerns that the company could be seeking favourable treatment on matters including antitrust suits, tariffs, trade deals, federal contracts and tax cuts.
Amazon has denied the allegations, insisting the documentary deal was not a political favour.
The White House has not publicly commented on the latest financial disclosure.
The ethics filing now confirms that the documentary was not only a media project about Melania’s return to the White House, but also a major source of income for the Trump family.
For critics, the disclosure is likely to intensify questions about the overlap between politics, entertainment, business interests and private earnings.
For Trump’s supporters, it may simply reinforce the family’s ability to command huge attention across politics, media and popular culture.
Either way, the new filing has made one thing clear: the Melania movie generated millions for the Trumps while continuing to fuel debate over power, profit and influence in Washington.
