Jeff Bezos has defended his company's decision to invest millions of dollars in a documentary about Melania Trump that was widely criticised by reviewers, while insisting his dealings with the president are non-partisan.
Bezos on the Melania Documentary
Speaking to CNBC in an interview on Wednesday, the Amazon founder addressed the controversy surrounding the film, titled Melania. He stated, "The Melania thing is a falsehood that will not die. So it was reported all the time that somehow I was involved in this… I had nothing to do with that."
The documentary, released in theatres in January, received overwhelmingly negative reviews, holding a Rotten Tomatoes score of just 10 percent. The Independent described it as a "ghastly bit of propaganda." Despite this, Bezos claimed the backing was a sound business move for Amazon.
"You know that it did very well in theatres. It's done very well on streaming. People are very curious about Melania, so even though I had nothing to do with it, it appears that the Amazon team made a very wise business decision," he told CNBC.
However, financial figures tell a different story. The film cost approximately $40 million to produce and an additional $35 million for marketing, yet it generated just over $16 million globally.
Praise for Donald Trump
Bezos also offered significant praise for Donald Trump, describing the president as "a more mature, more disciplined version of himself than he was in his first term." He emphasised his willingness to work with any administration, stating, "I've worked with all the presidents, I will work with all the presidents, and I hope to do that going forward, if they'll have me. We need our business leaders to provide input into the administration, regardless of who the president is."
He added that he is not aligned with any particular political side but rather "on the side of America." Bezos noted that he often seeks advice from former President Barack Obama, calling him "a very smart guy." He also acknowledged that Trump supporters have "lots of good ideas" and that the president "has been right about a lot of things. You have to give him credit where credit is due."
Taxation Comments
Elsewhere in the interview, the world's fourth richest man addressed criticism over his tax contributions. "People sometimes say that I don't pay taxes, that's not true. I pay billions of dollars in taxes… and if people want me to pay more billions then let's have that debate. But don't pretend that's going to solve the problem," he said.
He elaborated, "You could double the taxes I pay, and it's not going to help that teacher in Queens [New York]. I promise you… You can't connect those two things, not logically."
The Independent has contacted representatives of Bezos for further comment on his remarks.
