Posters for “Melania,” a documentary about first lady Melania Trump, have been defaced with Hitler graffiti and more at bus stops in Los Angeles.
According to the LA Times, Melania’s posters were scrawled with devil horns, a Hitler-style mustache, slurs referencing her husband Donald Trump, links to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, and more.
Some posters read “Melania is in Epstein’s files,” while others read “Eva Braun,” Hitler’s longtime lover, Fox 11 LA reported.
This “large-scale and serious” spree of vandalism, LA Metro officials said, came after federal immigration agents shot and killed American citizen Alex Pretti last weekend amid widespread violent protests in Minneapolis.
The ads ran for three weeks out of a four-week ad buy. The documentary “Melania,” produced by Amazon’s MGM Studios, opens in theaters on Friday.
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Bus routes have changed
Fearing that vandals would also target the actual buses, sporting ads for Melania Trump’s documentary of the same name, LA Metro was forced to reroute buses to other locations where there is less of such a concern, Metro spokesman Patrick Chandler said.
“Given that Metro buses have experienced significant vandalism and damage in previous periods of increased public activity,” Chandler told the LA Times in an emailed statement, adding that they decided “in the interest of protecting our riders, employees and property, and out of an abundance of caution” to move some of those buses to areas where we have not observed this vandalism.
Bus drivers share views on Melania poster vandalism
In an interview with Fox 11 LA, the bus driver said that Melania represents Trump and, referring to the ICE action, said that people are not happy.
“It’s part of what’s going on,” the rider said. “If you have, say, Hitler’s wife and they make a movie about her, I don’t think people are going to be happy about her, even if she didn’t do anything wrong.”
“She’s related to the guy, so she indirectly gets all the flack,” said another bus rider.
One rider said they “understand people don’t agree with things” but said “damaging public transport is not the best idea”. “…but I certainly understand where they’re coming from,” said the rider.
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Prime Minister Melania
On Jan. 29, Melania, a documentary about the deeply private, mysterious first lady who kept a low profile in public during her husband’s second term, premiered.
It was attended by top Trump administration officials, including Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
They walked down a black — not red — carpet in front of a large backdrop with “MELANIA” written in black and white letters as the light bulbs came on.
Read also | First Lady Melania Trump unveiled the new film at a private screening at the White House
The trailer for “Melania” opens on Inauguration Day in January 2025, showing her donning a wide-brimmed sailor hat for a ceremony at the U.S. Capitol. It also portrays her role as an adviser to the president, including when she encourages him to emphasize “peacemakers and unifiers” in his inaugural address.
