Donald Trump could not resist taking a swipe at his political predecessor, former president Barack Obama, in a moment that had nothing to do with him.
While Trump should have been celebrating his wife, Melania, he took a moment to deflect away from what was happening — a pivot that echoed his long-running fixation on the accolades Obama received and he never has.
The moment felt unnecessary and out of sync and only added to the awkwardness, reinforcing how quickly Trump can shift the spotlight back onto himself, even when the moment calls for something else entirely.
The MAGA leader turned a reporter’s question at the Washington, DC premiere of “Melania,” a full-length documentary, about the reported eight-figure payout Melania, 55, received from Amazon MGM Studios to Obama, 64, securing huge deals after leaving the White House.
“Mr. President, what do you say to those that are critical of the fact that Amazon paid $40 million to acquire the rights of this movie?” a press member asked Trump, 79, as he walked the red carpet at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
Trump responded, “Well, I think they’d have to go and ask President Obama, who got paid a lot of money and hasn’t done anything. So I think you’d probably have to go [look at him], because if you take a look at others, they’ve been paid a lot of money.”
He continued, “But this is somebody, Melania, who really produced and she’s she’s done a great thing. This is a very important piece of work.
While Trump did not specify which supposed payment to Obama vexed him, the former reality television star was likely referring to Netflix’s establishment of a creative partnership with the Higher Ground media company founded by the ex-POTUS and his wife, Michelle Obama.
It has not been confirmed how much the Obamas earned from their partnership with the streaming giant. However, Hollywood producers such as “Grey’s Anatomy” creator Shonda Rhimes and “Glee” creator Ryan Murphy inked nine-figure deals with Netflix around the same time.
Higher Ground has produced numerous projects for Netflix, including “Fatherhood” and “Rustin,” as well as the TV series “We the People” and “Starting 5.”
As the “Melania” documentary faces an uphill battle to wow movie lovers and reviewers, Higher Ground’s “American Factory” documentary — which explores the cultural and industrial clash between American and Chinese work cultures— was a critical darling, racking up industry honors like an Academy Award and an Emmy.
Trump hijacking his spouse’s big night to drag Obama into the moment set social media off, with critics arguing it exposed a fixation he can’t shake — one tied to the first Black president, a two-term Democrat whose legacy they say still needles him in ways he’s never gotten past.
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“Obama has to be the longest tenant of living rent-free in his brain,” expressed one person on Threads about Trump seemingly being fixated on the “Dreams From My Father” author.
A second individual on the app wrote, “He really is obsessed with Obama,” which prompted a reply: “So jealous of him!!”
“This old man is forever jealous of a younger, smarter, and accomplished man!! So unbecoming, such a baby,” declared another commenter about Trump randomly bringing up Obama at the Kennedy Center event.
Yet another poster stated, “He annoys me to the highest level dodging questions, but his obsession with Obama brings me joy. There’s not much left up there, but Obama, Obama is always on his mind.”
It has long been speculated that Trump decided to enter the national political arena after Obama made fun of him to his face at the 2011 White House Correspondents’ Association dinner.
The then-president hit back at Trump for spending years pushing the fake birtherism conspiracy theory that wrongly claimed Obama was born in Kenya, not America, which birthers claimed woud have made him ineligible to be president of the United States.
The real estate mogul went on to win the 2016 presidential election, but lost his re-election bid in 2020. Following a four-year exile from the White House, Trump returned in 2024 by winning both the Electoral College vote and the popular vote.
The Brett Ratner-directed “Melania” documentary follows the ex-model over the 20 days leading up to Trump’s second presidential inauguration in January 2025. Amazon reportedly shelled out $40 million to license the film and another $35 million for global marketing.
As of this writing, projections have “Melania” grossing between $3 million and $5 million in its opening weekend at the North American box office. That haul would widely be considered a failure for a film that could end up costing over $75 million.
