Here’s How Much Money Trump Has Made Off the Presidency So Far
Donald Trump and his wife, Melania, have been making deals and raking in money ever since Trump won the election, including a cool $40 million to license her documentary about returning to the White House as first lady.
That’s just one of Trump’s numerous money-making schemes since his return to office, which has netted him and his family nearly $80 million so far, according to a Wall Street Journal analysis. That includes donations to his future presidential library and a hefty $10 million settlement with Elon Musk’s X. That sum doesn’t include the millions the president and first lady have each netted from “meme coin” cryptocurrency ventures, a blatant means of scamming MAGA supporters.
Melania’s upcoming Amazon documentary may be one of the most obviously corrupt deals. The Journal reports that the first lady, the president, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, and his fiancee Lauren Sánchez all had dinner at Mar-a-Lago in December, where Melania sold Bezos on her movie. Two weeks after that dinner, Amazon agreed to shell out the $40 million, nearly three times as much as the next best offer and the most the company has ever spent on a documentary.
The first lady is reportedly getting over 70 percent of the $40 million, and her agent is trying to sell “sponsorships” to executives and billionaires for the movie, with $10 million as the starting price. In return, these sponsors would get thanked in the credits and be invited to the premiere.
Some of Amazon’s competitors weren’t even interested in the film. Netflix and Apple declined to field offers, while Paramount only bid $4 million on distribution rights. The only other company that showed some interest was Disney, but their offer was just $14 million.
According to an Amazon spokesperson, “We licensed the upcoming Melania Trump documentary film and series for one reason and one reason only—because we think customers are going to love it.”
That seems hard to believe. Amazon and Bezos are shelling out money not because they love the documentary, but because they are cozying up to the president to stay on his good side and hopefully get some favorable decisions from the Republican-controlled government. In Trump’s second term, it’s all about cash for favors, with no concern about appearing corrupt.
