By DARLENE SUPERVILLE
WASHINGTON (AP) — Melania Trump on Wednesday met with a freed American-Israeli hostage whose plight she featured in her new film, which includes footage from a meeting last year with the man’s wife.
Keith and Aviva Siegel were among some 251 people taken hostage on Oct. 7, 2023, after Hamas militants launched a surprise attack on southern Israel, killing about 1,200 people.
Keith Siegel was held for 484 days until he was released in February 2025 under a U.S.-brokered ceasefire with Israel shortly after Donald Trump began his second term as president. His wife was held for 51 days before she was freed in November 2023 under a previous ceasefire.
Melania Trump on Wednesday recounted the “emotional meeting” she had with Aviva Siegel in New York in January 2025, just before Trump took office again.
“After Aviva was freed, she called me, wanted to see me and we set up a meeting in New York,” the first lady said as she sat between the Siegels in the White House Blue Room. “It was emotional meeting, and it is captured on camera and available to see in my film, ‘Melania.’”
She said Aviva Siegel gave her two of Keith Siegel’s books and she gave them to Donald Trump when she got home and told him about the situation. “I know he was fighting for all of the hostages and, as we know now, all of the hostages are free and home with the families.”
“Aviva was a warrior. She is a warrior. She was fighting very hard for Keith, and I know he suffered a lot,” Melania Trump said before she turned to address him. “I’m happy to see you healthy and home with your children, your grandchildren, with your family.”
Asked by a reporter if it was appropriate for her to use an official White House event to promote the reported $40 million, Amazon-funded documentary, the first lady said she wasn’t doing that.
“This is not promotion,” Melania Trump said. “We are here celebrating the release of the hostages, of Aviva and Keith. They were in Washington, D.C., and they called me. They said they would like to come over to thank me and to give hugs, and that’s why we are here. It’s nothing to do with promotion.”
Keith Siegel thanked the president and first lady, and he and his wife complimented Melania Trump on the documentary, which was released last week. It chronicles her life in the 20 days leading up to Trump’s second inauguration.
“I want to thank you for being a caring, compassionate person and for supporting and helping Aviva during those difficult days, and you helped her enormously, in many ways,” he said. “I’m very grateful to have the opportunity to say that to you in person, sitting next to you.”
Aviva Siegel told the first lady their meeting “gave me so much hope, and I could feel your heart with me.”
Melania Trump had not publicly disclosed the meeting with Aviva Siegel until the documentary opened in theaters last Friday. It includes scenes of the first lady comforting Aviva Siegel as she expresses concern for her husband and starts to cry.
Melania Trump promised to pray for Keith and said in the film, “I will always use my influence and power to fight for those in need.” She takes credit for helping earn his release.
At the end of the film, a series of title cards lists the accomplishments from her first year back as first lady, and says: “Melania Trump played a key role in securing the release of Keith Siegel after 484 days as a hostage in Gaza, just 12 days after the inauguration.”