‘Melania’ offers another glimpse into U.S. first lady’s Catholic side

“Melania,” the new documentary about America’s first lady, follows Mrs. Trump as she prepares for her husband’s second inauguration in 2025. Her stilettos go from the lush grounds at Mar-a-Lago to the opulence of her Trump Tower apartment to the corridors of power in Washington. As she is guided into the Capitol rotunda to witness her husband’s swearing-in, she glances back and remarks: “Here we go again.”

Amazon MGM reportedly produced the documentary for $40 million, with Melania Trump serving as one of its executive producers. It has grossed roughly $15 million since its release on Jan. 30. The news media has been sharply critical, not for what Melania Trump reveals to the public but for what she does not. “She wanted to look gorgeous in every frame and not reveal anything,” sniped Maureen Dowd of The New York Times.

One aspect she did choose to reveal somewhat: her faith. Specifically, the scene takes place on Jan. 9, 2025. Still reeling from her husband’s comeback victory, Mrs. Trump is also bracing for a somber anniversary: the passing of her mother, Amalija Knavs.

The film’s director, Brett Ratner, tracks Mrs. Trump with her designer, Herve Pierre, fussing over her inaugural outfits, approving menus for the events, and interviewing candidates for East Wing positions. However, an underlying sadness remains. The first lady explained that being at President Jimmy Carter’s funeral the same week had deepened her feelings of sorrow and need for spiritual solace.

That evening, a car is seen pulling up in front of St. Patrick’s Cathedral on Fifth Avenue in New York City. Despite the crowds hovering in the cold, Mrs. Trump maintains a vacant expression as she is greeted at the door by Father Enrique Salvo, rector of the cathedral, and Monsignor Joseph LaMorte, vicar general of the Archdiocese of New York.

Mrs. Trump, sans the president-elect, proceeds to make her way down the long aisle to the altar. She stands reverently in front of the cross and then proceeds to light a candle while the viewer hears Aretha Franklin’s “Amazing Grace.”

Before exiting the church, she tells LaMorte and Salvo that her mother would often visit St. Patrick’s and in this holy place, she feels a deep sense of comfort. The camera captures Salvo offering to say Mass for her mother and imparting a blessing upon the first lady. 

Mysterious spiritual life

Melania Trump’s spiritual life has remained as mysterious as the first lady herself, but she has sent subtle cues of her Catholicism through her years in the public eye.

When she married the president in an Episcopalian church in 2005, she carried a rosary down the aisle in her wedding bouquet. In 2017, during an audience with Pope Francis, she had her rosary blessed and was photographed praying before the Blessed Mother in Rome.

At the time, media outlets reported that she was Catholic; however, her office did not provide any information regarding her status within the Church. That same year, she also very solemnly led the audience in praying the Our Father at a Trump rally.

Subsequently, pro-lifers were deeply disappointed when she gave an unapologetic pro-choice exposition in her 2024 memoir. “A woman’s fundamental right of individual liberty … grants her the authority to terminate her pregnancy if she wishes,” she wrote.

Earlier this year, she was captured in a photograph at Francis’ funeral with her eyes closed and her head tilted upward toward the sky. With her latest documentary, speculation about her faith continues.