Jeff Bezos Defends Controversial $75M Melania Trump Movie as a 'Good Business Deal' — But Insists He Had 'Nothing to Do With It'
Jeff Bezos denied personally approving Amazon's Melania Trump documentary.
May 20 2026, Published 5:30 p.m. ET
Jeff Bezos shut down claims that Amazon's pricey Melania Trump documentary was part of an effort to gain favor with Donald Trump, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
The billionaire insisted he had "nothing to do with" the controversial project, while still defending the film as a "very wise business decision" despite its massive reported $75million price tag.
Jeff Bezos Denies Involvement in Melania Documentary
The billionaire insisted he had 'nothing to do with' the controversial $75million project.
During an appearance on CNBC's Squawk Box, Bezos pushed back on accusations that he has been trying to cozy up to the president through his various business ventures, including Amazon and The Washington Post.
Host Andrew Ross Sorkin specifically brought up criticism surrounding the Melania documentary, which followed the first lady around the time of the Don's second inauguration.
The project reportedly came with a $40million production budget, plus another $35million spent on marketing.
Critics questioned the documentary's massive budget, which reportedly included $40million in production costs and $35million in marketing.
Though the film generated headlines, it failed to recoup its enormous budget during its theatrical run, reportedly earning just over $16million worldwide before moving to Amazon Prime Video.
Still, Bezos argued the documentary proved successful for Amazon.
"I had nothing to do with that," he said. "By the way, it appears it was a good business decision."
He added, "You know, it did very well in theaters, it has done very well on streaming, people are very curious about Melania."
Despite grossing just over $16 million worldwide in theaters, Jeff claimed the film performed strongly on streaming.
Jeff Bezos Rejects Claims He Was 'Buying Influence'
Bezos dismissed rumors the documentary was discussed during meetings with President Trump at Mar-a-Lago.
Bezos also denied rumors that discussions about the documentary took place during meetings with the president at Mar-a-Lago.
"The Melania thing is a falsehood that will not die," he said, adding both Amazon and Melania's office had repeatedly denied reports suggesting he was involved.
Sorkin questioned whether critics viewed the documentary as an attempt to "placate" Donald ahead of another presidential term.
But Bezos firmly rejected the idea.
"This idea that somehow that is a way of buying influence, it’s just not correct," he insisted.
"I can see why people say this," he admitted, before adding, "Amazon's a big company, it makes a lot of decisions... The Amazon team made a very wise business decision."
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'The Washington Post' Criticism Also Addressed
The Amazon founder also defended The Washington Post’s editorial direction, saying he supports 'free markets' and 'individual personal liberties.'
The Amazon founder also addressed criticism surrounding The Washington Post and accusations that the newspaper's editorial direction has shifted under his ownership.
"I want The Post’s opinion section to stand for free markets, kind of what I've been talking to you about today, free markets and individual personal liberties," Bezos expressed about the publication.
"I think those are [the] founding pillars of America. It's one of the reasons that America has been so successful. We have an incredible history," he added.
