Jeff Bezos believes Amazon made a smart business decision in supporting "Melania," the much-discussed Melania Trump documentary. In a new interview, Bezos discussed numerous issues surrounding his public persona, including his relationship with the Trump family.
© NurPhotoIn an interview with CNBC, Bezos addressed the "Melania" documentary, including rumors that claimed he had a hand in materializing the deal with the Trump family in order to gain favor with them. “The ‘Melania’ thing is a falsehood that will not die,” Bezos said. “I see it reported all the time that somehow I was involved in this."
“I had nothing to do with that," Bezos said. He stepped down as Amazon's CEO in 2021. Nowadays, he serves as the company's executive chairman, and, according to him, has no input on the projects the company takes on, much less on the documentaries that it purchases and distributes.
© Anna MoneymakerStill, Bezos went on to praise his company's decision to carry the documentary. “By the way, it appears it was a good business decision. It did very well in theaters. It’s done very well on streaming. People are very curious about Melania. So even though I had nothing to do with it, it appears that the Amazon team made a very wise business decision," he said.
As reported by Variety, "Melania" was an unusually high sum for a documentary film, with Amazon MGM paying $40 million to acquire it and $35 to market it. The film performed well in theaters, grossing around $16.6 million worldwide. It's a good performance for a documentary film, yet still not enough for the streamer to earn back its investment.
Numerous politicians and media figures commented on the deal, claiming that Amazon was trying to curry favor with the Trump administration and gain preferential treatment.
© Getty ImagesJeff Bezos opens up about his relationship with Trump
Throughout Trump's second administration, he's maintained relationships with the leading figures in the tech industry, among them, Bezos. He and his wife, Lauren Sanchez Bezos, have attended numerous events at the White House, including Trump's inauguration and the State Dinner with King Charles and Queen Camilla.
“I think he is a more mature, more disciplined version of himself than he was in his first term,” said Bezos. “Again, I’ve worked with all the presidents, I will work with all the presidents… and I hope to do that going forward if they’ll have me, but we need our business leaders to provide input into the administration, regardless of who the president is.”
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