Military watchdog warns thousands of troops were ‘pressured’ to do one thing by their commanders, and it involves Melania Trump

A military watchdog is warning that thousands of active-duty troops around the world may have been pressured by their commanders to attend screenings of the new Melania documentary. The Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF), a group that works to keep church and state separate in the armed forces, has collected evidence showing that service members are being ordered to go to theaters against their will.

Mikey Weinstein, the MRFF’s president and founder, said he has received letters from troops at eight different military bases worldwide. These service members say their superiors are pushing them to buy tickets for the film. When a commander tells you to do something in the military, it’s not a polite suggestion.

According to The Daily Beast, the pressure tactics used by some officers appear to be forceful. One unit commander, known for wearing red MAGA hats and showing his political support for President Trump’s administration, told his unit members to join him and their families for a showing of the documentary at a theater off base. While he used the word “advised,” the troops understood what he really meant.

Some commanders are making the screening count as mandatory unit activity

One letter the MRFF received said the commander even made seeing Melania count as one of the three required “unit activity events” service members must attend each month to build combat unit bonds.  Weinstein says that forcing troops to spend their personal time on politically driven activities hurts unit unity. He said this behavior “tears it down,” comparing the impact to “injecting cancer into the body of the military unit.”

One troop wrote to the MRFF about their fear, saying, “Nobody that I know wanted to go except for those that did not want to get jacked up by our unit commander for not attending.” They added that they feel “helpless to try to fight against what he is doing here.” People are clearly scared to go against their superiors, especially when those superiors connect political support to required activities.

The pressure seems designed to boost the documentary’s box office numbers. Amazon spent an unusual $75 million to produce and market the film, making it one of the most expensive documentaries ever made. Despite the huge spending and the alleged pressure campaign, the film’s disappointing box office performance showed it opened to only $7 million with terrible reviews.

This poor performance adds to the controversy around the film’s large budget. Amazon paid $40 million just to license the film, with First Lady Melania Trump’s production company getting the money. The First Lady herself is expected to personally receive about $27 million from the deal.

This has led to claims that the whole project is basically a huge bribe from Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, who may be trying to gain favor with the Trump family. The movie’s director, Brett Ratner, is also facing scrutiny. 

Ratner, who was accused of sexual assault by several women in 2017, has denied the claims. The director’s connection to Jeffrey Epstein also raised eyebrows after he appeared in recently released photos, though he claims he “didn’t know” the disgraced financier. The Department of Defense released a statement denying any wrongdoing, claiming there “is no Department of War directive requiring service members to see this film, though the film is fantastic.”