ABC News reports that Melania Trump’s revenue statement shows she received no less than $100,000 in 2017 for royalties on photo sold through Getty Images. Getty Images are used by numerous media sites around the world, including here at Daily Kos. The specific images in question are not candid news shots but specifically 187 photographs shot over a span of six years (2010-2016), by Regine Mahaux.
The revenue statement puts Melania’s earnings somewhere between “$100,000 and $1,000,000.” That is quite the range. I can’t remember the last time I was allowed to break down my earnings statement in such a broad way. But federal officials are only “required” to offer up a range of earnings.* The added stipulation, according to Getty, is that these images must only be used for “positive” news stories.
Yahoo News, NBC News, Marie Claire, the Daily Mail, My San Antonio, Houston Chronicle, House Beautiful, and SF Gate, the website for The San Francisco Chronicle, are among those that have featured Mahaux's highly stylized family portraits since Trump took office.
I write positive news stories whenever I can, and I’ve never found a single one related to Melania Trump—or anyone related to the Trump name, for that matter.
*For anybody wondering, my salary is between $20,000 and $2,000,000.