Donald Trump Snares More Than $10.7 Million in Personal Licensing Fees From Amazon Documentary Deal: A Story Behind Amazon’s Contract

It has been confirmed that U.S. President Donald Trump profited from a personal licensing fee exceeding $10 million through a contract for an Amazon documentary film that portrays First Lady Melania Trump’s life. The massive media income he brought in after his return to the White House has sparked intense clashes in U.S. politics, with critics arguing it amounts to lobbying disguised as legitimate conduct by a large corporation.

A Jackpot Revealed in the Disclosure… The Reality Behind the “$10.71 Million” Paid by Amazon MGM

According to foreign media reports on July 1 (local time), President Trump reported that he received a total licensing fee (Licensing Fee) of $10.71 million (about ￦14.8 billion) in connection with the copyright deal for the documentary film ‘Melania (Melania)’, which was produced and distributed by Amazon MGM Studios.

The documentary ‘Melania’, which opened in global theaters on Jan. 30 this year and began streaming on Prime Video in March, is a work that captures the 20-day journey taken just before Melania Trump returned to the White House. To secure the film’s rights, Amazon MGM Studios paid $40 million (about ￦55 billion) in acquisition costs, and it also spent more than $35 million (about ￦48 billion) on promotion and marketing worldwide, the details show. A substantial portion of that money flowed directly into President Trump’s personal pocket.

“Bribery Plainly Visible Right in Front of Our Eyes” vs. “Just a Simple Commercial Contract”

After the details in the financial disclosure were uncovered, political circles in the U.S. and civic groups immediately raised suspicions of ties between Amazon and the Trump administration and moved to take aim at the issue.

Opposition figures, including Sen. Elizabeth Warren of the Democratic Party, pointed out that Amazon’s acquisition bid was a staggering $26 million higher than the second-lowest bidder (including Disney, etc.). They blasted the deal as “bribery in plain sight,” saying the contract was meant to pour tens of millions of dollars into the pockets of a sitting president’s family at a big corporation level to win favor at the White House.

In fact, even though the documentary recorded a box-office take of just $16.70 million at the time of its theatrical release—effectively marking a commercial failure—the Trump family still pulled in a fixed jackpot worth hundreds of billions of won, lending weight to the criticism.

Amazon MGM Studios and Jeff Bezos, by contrast, strongly denied the allegations. In an official statement, Amazon said, “The contract was purely a commercial business carried out based on the unparalleled topicality and content value held by global icon Melania Trump. No involvement of any political consideration or special treatment at all.”

From Memoirs and NFTs to Cryptocurrency… The Trump Family’s Relentless Asset Accumulation

Along with documentary earnings, the disclosure also captured publication licensing income of $521,161 (about ￦720 million) for the First Lady’s autobiographical memoir ‘Melania (Melania)’, as well as additional revenues on the scale of millions of dollars through the NFTs and digital collectibles she issued.

On top of that, the Trump family’s cryptocurrency venture business, which they have recently put front and center, also appears to have gained traction. The figures show that President Trump’s total revenue for all of 2025 surpassed $2.2 billion (about ￦3 trillion).

As the ethical-guideline violation and morality debate spreads over the current situation in which a sitting president is taking private gains through major media deals with big corporations during his term, Amazon plans to push ahead with an additional release of a companion docuseries featuring follow-up episodes of ‘Melania’ later this year. Political discord surrounding the matter is therefore expected to grow even louder.