Amazon founder and billionaire Jeff Bezos is facing intense backlash as it is widely believed that he arranged a backroom deal with the Trump administration to produce Melania Trump’s self-titled documentary to gain favors from Donald Trump.
Bezos has strictly denied these allegations in a CNBC interview where he said “he had nothing to do with” the Amazon MGM distributed film and said it was “a good business decision” by the Amazon team.
Jeff Bezos strongly denies Amazon created the Melania documentary to influence Donald Trump
Bezos has called all allegations of foul play in the film’s production “a falsehood which will not die.” The Amazon founder also denied news of the film being a flop, despite dismal reviews from authoritative channels, saying, “It did very well in theatres, it’s done very well on streaming. People are very curious about Melania.”
The movie’s reviews were overwhelmingly negative, with The Guardian saying that the project “does not have a single redeeming quality.” The intense backlash has prompted Democratic senator Elizabeth Warren to slam Amazon’s participation in the project. She penned a fiery letter to the company, stating, “The fact that Amazon is seeking favorable treatment from the Trump Administration while paying a far-above-market sum to produce and promote the Trump family’s film raises questions about Amazon’s exposure under federal anti-bribery law.”
The film reportedly took $40 million to produce and an additional $35 million for marketing materials. According to sources, the film was a unanimous flop and managed to make a measly $16 million at the box office.
Bezos’s sudden support for the US president is a direct pivot from his attitude towards Trump in his first term, where the two frequently clashed over Amazon’s shipping rates, corporate taxation, and the critical political reporting published by The Washington Post (which Bezos owns).
HAVE YOU SEEN THE CONTROVERSIAL MOVIE?
