It was supposed to be a glossy, carefully managed image reboot. Instead, it’s becoming something else entirely.
First Lady Melania Trump’s upcoming documentary, Melania, has been quietly pulled from theaters in South Africa just days before its U.S. release. At the same time, President Donald Trump is escalating pressure on one of the few institutions he does not fully control: the Federal Reserve.
Taken together, these stories tell a familiar Trump-era tale. Power being flexed. Independence being tested. And the growing limits of image management when reality keeps getting in the way.
We’ll break it down below.
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Melania’s Film Hits a Wall
Melania was scheduled for a full theatrical rollout in South Africa, including bookings with the country’s two largest cinema chains, Ster-Kinekor and Nu Metro. The film had already passed standard regulatory and classification reviews. Everything was set.
Then, abruptly, it wasn’t.
Filmfinity, the local distributor, confirmed Wednesday that the release was canceled. No detailed explanation was given. “Based on recent developments, we’ve taken the decision to not go ahead with a theatrical release in territory,” Filmfinity’s head of sales and distribution told The New York Times.
According to a report from Meidas News, concerns were raised internally about how the film would be received given the Trump administration’s increasingly harsh immigration tactics and global reputation. In other words, the optics didn’t look great.
This matters because Melania is not a small project. Billionaire Jeff Bezos, who has visibly warmed to Trump since his second inauguration, purchased the rights through Amazon MGM Studios for $40 million. Another $35 million has reportedly been spent on marketing. The film promises “unprecedented access” to the 20 days leading up to the 2025 inauguration, framed entirely through the First Lady’s perspective.
The rollout has been aggressive. Melania rang the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange. The White House hosted a private screening. A red-carpet premiere is set for the Kennedy Center.
And yet, behind the scenes, the shine appears to be cracking.
According to Rolling Stone, roughly two-thirds of the crew members who worked on the documentary have asked not to be credited. Several described the production as “highly disorganized” and chaotic. That’s an extraordinary detail for a film designed to project control, elegance, and discipline.
International audiences, it seems, weren’t buying it.
Trump vs. the Federal Reserve (Again)
While Melania’s film struggles abroad, Donald Trump is busy waging another very public campaign at home.
On Wednesday, the Federal Reserve held interest rates steady at 3.50 to 3.75 percent in a 10-2 vote. The decision was widely expected. Economic growth remains solid. Unemployment has stabilized. Inflation remains stubborn.
But Trump was furious anyway.
Since returning to the White House, he has escalated attacks on the Fed, pushing aggressively for rate cuts and openly questioning its leadership. He has sought to remove Fed Governor Lisa Cook over mortgage fraud allegations and launched an investigation into Chair Jerome Powell over renovations to the Fed’s headquarters.
Powell, notably, is not backing down.
This month, he issued a rare and blunt warning, framing the moment as potentially the most important legal test in the institution’s history. At stake, he said, is whether monetary policy will be guided by data or by political intimidation.
At Wednesday’s press conference, Powell reiterated that he does not believe the Fed will lose its independence. But the fact that he has to say that out loud tells you everything.
Trump wants loyalty. The Fed is built to resist it.
The Bigger Picture
From a First Lady’s documentary quietly pulled overseas to a president openly pressuring the central bank, the pattern is unmistakable.
The Trump orbit thrives on spectacle, branding, and dominance. But independent institutions and global audiences don’t always play along. Sometimes they quietly opt out.
And sometimes, that silence speaks louder than any red-carpet premiere ever could.
See you soon.
-Raw America
