U.S. first lady Melania Trump rings the opening bell with Chairman and CEO of Intercontinental Exchange Jeffrey C. Sprecher, and President of NYSE Group Lynn Martin, in New York City, U.S., January 28, 2026. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid
First Lady Melania Trump had to endure an embarrassing appearance at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) ahead of the opening weekend of her new film.
The Daily Beast reported Wednesday that when the first lady appeared in front of an assembled crowd of traders to ring the opening bell, she stood silently as she was greeted by tepid applause. The weak response from the crowd didn't go unnoticed by NYSE Group President Lynn Martin, who can be seen on video lifting her arms up repeatedly to encourage traders to clap harder for the first lady.
As Melania rang the opening bell to lukewarm cheers, CNBC correspondent David Faber could be heard talking about "the tightrope that many corporate leaders walk" between navigating President Donald Trump's White House and managing expectations of shareholders, employees and customers. Then, as Martin prodded the crowd, the Beast wrote that there was a "noticeable rise in volume" in applause.
In response to the awkward moment, satirist Paul Rudnick quipped: "When Melania rang the opening bell at the NY Stock Exchange today, the crowd barely noticed and had to be forced to applaud by her staff, who reportedly told everyone, 'If you don't clap we'll force you to see her movie.'"
"Abraham Lincoln said watching 'MELANIA' was the worst experience he's ever had in a theatre," tweeted author Craig Tyson Adams.
The first lady's eponymous film is projected to bring in just $1 to $5 million at the box office this coming weekend, according to CNN data analyst Harry Enten. This is despite Amazon paying Melania $40 million for the exclusive rights to the movie last year, and spending an additional $35 million on advertising.
"We don't think that it's going to necessarily be selling out a whole heck of a lot of tickets," Enten told CNN host Erin Burnett on Tuesday.