I Watched ‘Melania,’ a Film That Tries to Whitewash Trump’s Fascism
The propaganda film is eager to present the First Lady as a benevolent political force, and pretend she isn't part of her husband's racist, authoritarian project. It fails at both.
As immigrants hide from the ICE thugs who are supposedly leaving Maine, I am 15 minutes outside of Portland surrounded by people who think the immigrants deserve it, watching the first showing of a $75 million grift of a movie made by a disgraced, accused sexual predator and the wife of a fascist.
‘Melania,’ which is not a documentary but rather a propaganda film, portrays a woman who wishes to be viewed as someone involved in politics. It shows not only her fittings for her inauguration outfits, but also her meetings with French First Lady Brigitte Macron and with a woman who had been kidnapped by Hamas.
A person who watches the film with zero knowledge of US politics would see a woman who is focused on peace and helping children, who is mourning her mother and is proud of her son, who sings along to “Billie Jean” and “YMCA.” But Melania Trump, the film makes clear, is a willing participant in the regime, and her role is to whitewash her husband’s brash, violent fascism.
Critics will tell you ‘Melania’ is a bad movie, and they are correct. It is boring and lacks a plot. The film brought in $7 million in its opening weekend, which is being treated by the press as something of a win, even though it’s on pace to lose a fortune. But ‘Melania’ is successful because it is a work of propaganda that sells Trump supporters the exact fantasy they want to see: The beautiful first lady has everything under control.