Melania Trump documentary adds a layer of controversies

Melania Trump’s documentary received backlash.

In recent news, Paul Thomas Anderson and Radiohead musician Jonny Greenwood had asked the former to officially remove the music from the documentary. The controversial documentary has added layers of scrutiny to the film, which had previously attracted intense attention for its subject matter and unusually high budget.

In a statement released through Greenwood’s representative, Anderson and Greenwood said they became aware that a piece of music from the 2017 film Phantom Thread had been used in the Melania documentary without proper consultation. Greenwood composed the acclaimed score for Phantom Thread, which was directed by Anderson and widely praised for its emotional restraint and atmospheric tension.

According to the statement, while Greenwood does not personally own the copyright to the Phantom Thread score, the studio failed to consult him about the third-party use of the music. The pair described this omission as a breach of Greenwood’s composer agreement, prompting them to request that the music be removed from the documentary altogether. Their intervention places renewed focus on how film scores are licensed and reused, particularly in high-profile political or biographical projects.

The Melania documentary, directed by Brett Ratner, presents itself as an intimate portrait of First Lady Melania Trump. Despite strong box office numbers for a documentary, with more than $13 million earned domestically after two weekends, the film has been criticised for offering limited insight. Industry observers have also been struck by its staggering cost, with Amazon MGM reportedly spending $40 million to acquire the film and an accompanying streaming series, followed by a further $35 million on theatrical marketing.

These figures are virtually unheard of in the documentary space, where profitability is rarely driven by cinema releases. The heavy investment has led to speculation about Amazon’s and MGM’s motivations, particularly given the political climate surrounding the film’s release. The studio has already taken the unusual step of issuing public statements to contextualise the movie’s box office performance.

Greenwood’s film composing career has spanned more than two decades and includes frequent collaborations with Anderson on titles such as There Will Be Blood, Inherent Vice and Liquorice Pizza. His Phantom Thread score was singled out at the time for its haunting elegance and emotional precision, making its unauthorised use especially sensitive.

Discussion spread across film-focused forums and social media, with many users debating the ethics of repurposing iconic film music in politically charged documentaries. Others questioned whether studios adequately protect composers when their work is reused beyond its original context. As of now, Amazon MGM has not publicly responded to the request to remove the music, leaving the dispute unresolved.

As a child, Melania participated in a fashion show that featured children’s clothing. Textiles were Sevnica’s primary industry. Students were excused from school to participate in the shows. From a young age, Melanija expressed an interest in fashion, and she began customising and sewing her own clothes. She developed a skill for it by watching her mother work. Melanija did well in school, where she was appointed school treasurer.

Trump has said that she can speak English, Italian, French, and German in addition to her native Slovene, but in public, she has fluently spoken fluently only English and Slovene.