Melania Trump Documentary to Premiere at Kennedy Center Weeks After President Added His Name to the Building

President Donald Trump and Melania Trump are set to attend the premiere of Melania Trump’s documentary at the Trump Kennedy Center, weeks after the institution’s board added Trump’s name to the historic building.

The president and first lady are set to appear at the Washington, D.C. premiere of Melania, hosted at the recently renamed venue on Jan. 29, the day before it hits theaters, Fox News Digital reported on Thursday, Jan. 8.

Melania follows the first lady in the first 20 days of 2025, leading up to her husband’s second inauguration. Directed by Brett Ratner, it includes never-before-seen moments from the family’s transition back to Washington and Trump’s inauguration, revealing Melania’s role in the events along the way.

Shortly after assuming office for his second term, Trump seized control of the Kennedy Center, appointing loyalists to the board, which then voted him as chairman. He has casually referred to the building as the “Trump-Kennedy Center” in speeches and social media posts since the summer.

On Dec. 18, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt revealed that the Trump-appointed Kennedy Center board had voted to rename the longstanding JFK memorial in Washington, D.C., after the sitting Republican president.

Within hours, the Kennedy Center had updated its website header and social media icons to display a new version of its logo that reads “The Trump Kennedy Center.”

The Kennedy Center was dedicated by Congress as a living memorial to President John F. Kennedy one year after his assassination. The former president, a devoted supporter of the arts, frequently advocated for what he called “our contribution to the human spirit,” as highlighted on the center’s site.

Plans to add Trump’s name to the JFK memorial seem to have been underway since August 2025, when the president previewed the Kennedy Center Honors on Truth Social. “GREAT Nominees for the TRUMP/KENNEDY CENTER,” he wrote, adding, “whoops, I mean, KENNEDY CENTER, AWARDS.”

Multiple members of the Kennedy family have also spoken out against the board’s decision, including JFK’s niece, Maria Shriver.

“Beyond using the Kennedy Center to reward his friends and political allies, President Trump is now attempting to affix his name to yet another public institution without legal authority,” she said in a statement, per Reuters, alongside other ex officio members who claimed they were prevented from weighing in.

“The Kennedy Center was named after my uncle, President John F Kennedy,” she wrote on Instagram. “He brought the arts into the White House, and he and my Aunt Jackie amplified the arts, celebrated the arts, stood up for the arts and artists. It is beyond comprehension that this sitting president has sought to rename this great memorial dedicated to President Kennedy.”

She added, “It is beyond wild that he would think adding his name in front of President Kennedy’s name is acceptable. It is not.”

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In a statement in the press release for Melania, the first lady described the film’s contents as “history … in motion.” She expressed excitement for audiences to experience “a private, unfiltered look as I navigate family, business, and philanthropy on my remarkable journey to becoming First Lady of the United States of America.”

Melania serves as an executive producer on the film licensed by Amazon. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos “took a personal interest” in the documentary, which reportedly helped him fortify his relationship with the Trumps, per the New York Post.