00:03Flying in style to China on Air Force One, schmoozing it up with some of President Trump's
00:08closest allies, and documenting the entire trip on Instagram. It wasn't Melania Trump joining
00:13her husband on his high-profile trip to China, but actually the director closest to America's
00:18leading lady. Why did Melania not join the commander-in-chief, and why was Hollywood
00:23director Brett Ratner on the trip instead? Here's what you need to know. President Trump landed in
00:28Beijing China on May 13th to kick off a historic summit between the world's two most powerful heads
00:34of state. Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping stood shoulder to shoulder outside China's Great Hall
00:39of the People, a massive Communist Party showpiece overlooking Tiananmen Square during a lavish arrival
00:46ceremony. The commander-in-chief wasn't alone on his momentous excursion to the east. On top of his
00:52everyday advisors and confidants, the president also took along a delegation that included several top
00:57CEOs such as Tesla and SpaceX founder Elon Musk and outgoing Apple boss Tim Cook. Melania Trump
01:04stayed back at the White House and didn't join her husband for the whirlwind Beijing summit. Melania
01:09stayed in D.C. to mark the 180-day milestone since the president signed the Fostering the Future
01:14executive order, honoring one of her signature initiatives to help foster children. But one guest
01:20close to America's leading lady did show up in Trump's posse, film director Brett Ratner, the first lady who
01:27helped produce her self-titled documentary with Ratner, was actually never scheduled to join her
01:31husband on the eastward trip. One source even told the post that Melania didn't even know Ratner would
01:37be joining in on the expedition. A person familiar with the trip told the post that quote, the first
01:42lady only works with Mr. Ratner on her film. Ratner, who directed Melania Trump's self-titled
01:47documentary and the heavily acclaimed Rush Hour franchise, joined the president in China to scout
01:53filming locations for Rush Hour 4, as well as meeting with cast and crew, his spokesperson told
01:58the post. And the director hasn't been quiet about the trip. Ratner has been documenting every moment
02:03of the journey on his Instagram stories, like his arrival on Air Force One, a few views outside China's
02:09Great Hall of the People, a quick snap featuring Musk and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a short video
02:14featuring Trump saying hello to the director, and even a humorous jab at Steven Chung, joking that the
02:20White House communications director would be cast as the villain in the next Rush Hour flick.
02:24Trump has reportedly been a huge advocate of reviving the Rush Hour franchise, and has encouraged his
02:29billionaire ally, Larry Ellison, to revive the mismatched buddy cop franchise, starring Jackie
02:35Chan and Chris Tucker, once Ellison's Paramount Pictures purchased rights holder at Warner Brothers'
02:40Discovery. The third and most recent film in the franchise came out in 2007. Rush Hour 4 will mark the
02:46first time Ratner has filmed in China, his spokesperson said, adding that cameras are set to start rolling
02:51next year. Ratner, who also directed X-Men The Last Stand, Tower Heist, and a live-action version of
02:57Hercules, starring Dwayne The Rock Johnson, was previously shunned from Hollywood after six women
03:03accused him of sexual misconduct in 2017. Ratner has denied the allegations and was never charged.
03:09Ratner also landed in hot water in January when the DOJ released photos of him and pedophile Jeffrey
03:15Epstein during a massive information dump. In one photo, the Rush Hour director was on the far left
03:20end of a couch, clad in a white shirt and denim jeans, embracing a woman who was seated next to
03:25the disgraced financier. Ratner later told Fox News Digital that the mystery woman he was caught
03:31embracing was actually his former fiancee.
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