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“Girl You Barely Speak English” — Critics Slam Melania’s $25 Spanish AI Audiobook as a Gimmick - 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐃𝐀𝐈𝐋𝐘 𝐆𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐂𝐇
Profiting off a robot
dailyglitch.com
First Lady Melania Trump has begun selling a Spanish‑language version of her memoir — not read by her, but by an artificial voice made to sound like her. The 7 hour recording costs $25.
The audiobook in English first came out in May 2025. The version now available in Spanish uses the same technology. Her team says the voice was “made under Mrs Trump’s supervision” by an audio firm ElevenLabs.
Melania’s memoir — simply titled Melania — was first published in October 2024. It tells her life story: her childhood in Slovenia, her time as a model, her move to the United States, and life next to the President. It includes personal memories and some unusual stories.
When she announced the AI audiobook at first, she said she was proud to bring “a new era in publishing.” She invited readers to hear her story in her “own voice.”
The Spanish edition launched in December 2025. Melania said she made it for S
panish speaking fans around the world. She told news outlets this came after many fans requested a version they could understand.
Not everyone is impressed. Some critics call the move odd. They say it feels strange to pay 25 dollars for a version of a memoir read by a computer voice, especially when the author is alive. Some call it more like a sales pitch than a real autobiography.
Others notice a bigger contradiction.
The Spanish edition is aimed at a large community of Spanish speakers. But many of those people belong to groups that faced tough immigration rules under the Trump led government. For some, it seems strange to sell a personal story to a group while official policies have hurt many in that same group.
The firm behind the audiobook says this kind of work can bring stories to many people quickly and cheaply. They say technology like this is the future of reading and listening.
This is not the first time Melania has used AI. Earlier in 2025 she supported a law called the “Take It Down Act,” which forbids misuse of AI to create fake intimate images without consent. That legislation aimed to stop harmful deepfake content.
The Spanish version is now live on her official website and through the partner platform. It is not yet clear how many people will buy it. It is also not known whether the forthcoming documentary based on her book — set to show in 2026 — will get a Spanish language release too.
