First lady Melania Trump shot down speculation she was inappropriately using the White House to promote her recently released documentary as she met with freed American-Israeli hostage Keith Siegel and his wife Aviva Siegel.
During the televised meeting on Wednesday, the first lady noted that Aviva Siegel was a hostage for 51 days while Keith spent 484 days in captivity.
“After Aviva was freed, she called me, wanted to see me, and we set up a meeting in New York in January 2025,” she said. “It was an emotional meeting and captured on camera and available to see in my new film, ‘Melania.’ It was very emotional.”
The mention of the film drew pointed questions from the press about if it was “appropriate to use an official White House event to promote” the project. The first lady rejected the premise.
“This is not promotion. We are here celebrating the release of the hostages of Aviva and Keith,” she told reporters. “They were in Washington, D.C., and they called me. They said they would like to come over to thank me and to give hugs. And that’s why we are here. It’s nothing to do with promotion.”
The meeting follows the Amazon-backed documentary premiere over the weekend. The film made roughly $8 million over its debut, making it the best opening for a documentary in over a decade. However, Amazon paid $40 million for production and spent another $35 million on marketing.
Aviva Siegel told Trump that she “knew how important it was for you to go back home and talk to President Trump and sharing your feelings. So I want to thank you for that, and I want to thank you for putting me in your special ‘Melania’ film.”
Keith Siegel was among those who were captured by Hamas during the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel. He was released in February 2025 as part of a ceasefire deal brokered by the U.S.
The first lady met with Aviva Siegel, just weeks before President Donald Trump started his second administration. Aviva Siegel was released by Hamas in November 2023 during a temporary ceasefire. The meeting between the two was included in the documentary.
Both the Siegels thanked Trump for her efforts during their sit-down meeting.
“I want to thank you for being a caring, compassionate person, for supporting and helping Aviva,” said Keith Siegel to Trump before taking an emotional pause. “You helped her enormously. In many ways, it’s an honor, it’s a privilege, and I’m eternally grateful. And I’m very grateful to have the opportunity to say that to you in person, sitting next to you. I’m eternally grateful to you and President Trump for bringing me home and for bringing all the hostages back to their families.”
WHAT HAPPENED WHEN THE DC BUBBLE WENT TO SEE THE MELANIA MOVIE
The first lady and Aviva Siegel held hands as Keith spoke.
Trump claimed she gave the president the two children’s books that Aviva presented to her during their January 2025. “I know he was fighting for all the hostages, and as we know now, all of the hostages are free and home with the families,” the first lady said. “Aviva was a warrior. She’s a warrior. She was fighting very hard for Keith, and I know he suffered a lot.”
