Donald Trump has said many things, but it looks like a post claiming the U.S. president said Melania, a new documentary about his wife, will be "mandatory viewing" was actually fake news.
As reported by Snopes, an image showing a doctored screenshot of a post from Trump on social media recently circulated online, tricking some into believing that Trump would make everyone in academia watch the movie.
"In celebration of my INCREDIBLE WIFE, MELANIE, and her BRAND NEW MOVIE (critics are calling it 'VERY IMPORTANT'), I am proud to announce that it will now be considered a FOUNDATIONAL MOMENT IN AMERICAN HISTORY," the fake post read, copying Trump’s writing style.
"Effective immediately, this movie will be MANDATORY VIEWING in ALL history courses," the fake post continued. "Elementary, high school, college—EVERYONE. People should learn WINNING early. Any universities that REFUSE to reach this MASTERPIECE will unfortunately see their funding DISAPPEAR. Sad! But rules are rules. This is about CULTURE. This is about RESPECT. … Many people are saying it’s the greatest film since the invention of film."
Trump has not shared a post like this on any of his social media accounts, many of which he doesn’t really use beyond his Truth Social page. The image has been confirmed as fake by Snopes, which also pointed out that it's clear the image was poorly edited, features no timestamps or icons for likes or reposts, and includes an obvious misspelling of his wife’s name.
Trump’s real post on Truth Social about the movie, shared on Monday (January 26), called the documentary a "MUST WATCH" and claimed that showings are selling out.
Melania, directed and produced by disgraced filmmaker Brett Ratner, has already proved controversial. Distributed by Amazon MGM Studios, Melania Trump reportedly earned $28 million from the documentary, which was purchased for $40 million. Aside from the suggestion that its expensive price tag could be seen as a bribe, there’s also Ratner’s involvement to consider.
In 2017, Ratner was accused of sexual assault by numerous women, including Olivia Munn. Elliot Page also accused him of outing him as gay. Ratner denied the allegations.
Elsewhere, as reported by People, Ratner was seen posing in a photo released as part of the Jeffrey Epstein files. He’s also attached to direct the recently announced Rush Hour 4, which Trump reportedly pushed to get made.
