The promotional campaign for Melania Trump's high-profile Amazon Prime documentary has encountered significant disruption in Los Angeles, with widespread vandalism targeting billboards and posters across the city. The documentary, which explores her involvement in the 2024 election cycle, is set for release in the United States, but public reception appears hostile despite Amazon's substantial $40 million investment in production.
Extensive Vandalism Targets Promotional Materials
In Los Angeles, billboards and posters advertising the film have been defaced with various forms of graffiti, including Hitler moustaches and, more prominently, images depicting Melania Trump appearing to defecate on the American flag. A spokesperson for the LA Metro described the vandalism as 'extensive and severe', highlighting the scale of the damage to the promotional infrastructure.
Art Group Claims Responsibility for Controversial Imagery
The provocative imagery of the former First Lady defecating on the flag has been attributed to the art collective Indecline. A spokesperson for the group explained their motivation to Rolling Stone, stating, 'We're calling it 'Melania Gives a Shit About America?' We have a 25-year history of climbing up on advertisements all over the country and doctoring them up in a number of ways, [because] we really do give a shit about this place.'
The group further criticised Melania Trump's position, noting, 'Melania being an immigrant herself, and ironically, being married to the one who's overseeing the kidnapping of immigrants and also the executions of U.S. citizens.' They expressed interest in a documentary focused on her immigrant experience in the US, suggesting an alternative narrative.
Backlash Extends to Film Director Brett Ratner
Compounding the controversy, the documentary's director, Brett Ratner—known for films like Rush Hour and X-Men: The Last Stand—is facing scrutiny following the release of Jeffrey Epstein files. These documents reportedly show Ratner cuddling with two girls and being photographed with Epstein himself. A spokesperson for Ratner has not commented on the newly emerged photos, adding to the film's troubled promotion.
Broader Context of Immigration Protests in the US
The vandalism occurs against a backdrop of heightened tensions in the United States, with widespread protests and police encounters as Americans demonstrate against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers in various cities. Recent incidents have fuelled public outrage, including the case of Alberto Castañeda Mondragón, a 31-year-old Mexican immigrant who suffered severe head and facial fractures while in federal custody in Minneapolis.
ICE agents initially claimed that Castañeda Mondragón 'purposefully ran headfirst into a brick wall' while attempting to flee, according to court files. However, medical professionals at Hennepin County Medical Center disputed this account, stating that such actions could not explain the extent of his injuries and brain bleeding. One nurse remarked, 'It's laughable, if there was something to laugh about. There was no way this person ran headfirst into a wall.'
Legal representatives for Castañeda Mondragón, who entered the US in 2022 with valid immigration documents and founded a construction company in St. Paul, argue that he was racially profiled during a crackdown. They noted in a petition for his release, 'He was a brown-skinned, Latino Spanish speaker at a location immigration agents arbitrarily decided to target.' He appears to have no criminal record, with officers only determining after his arrest that he had overstayed his visa.
This incident underscores the ongoing debates over immigration enforcement in the US, which have sparked public demonstrations and criticism, potentially influencing the negative reception to Melania Trump's documentary amid her husband's political legacy.
