Melania Trump ‘Body Double’ Returns As Donald Trump Visits Tornado-Hit Alabama, At Least According To Twitter
The Melania Trump “body double” made her latest appearance on Friday — at least according to Twitter users who revisited one of social media’s enduringly popular conspiracy theories when they saw photos of Mrs. Trump with her husband in Alabama, as Donald Trump visited the region where a series of deadly tornado strikes claimed the lives of 23 people earlier this week, as CNN reported.
The Melania “body double” conspiracy theory dates back to at least October of 2017, when photos circulated on Twitter that appeared to show the 48-year-old, Slovenia-born former fashion model appearing somewhat different in side-by-side photographs.
Conspiracy theories about Melania Trump’s true whereabouts got a boost in May of last year, when Melania Trump, for reasons that were never fully explained, disappeared from public view for nearly three weeks, an extraordinarily long time for a first lady to go without a public appearance, according to The Guardian.
During that time, as The Inquisitr noted, the “location” listing on the official Melania Trump Twitter account switched from Washington, D.C., to “New York,” sparking unsubstantiated theories that the first lady had left her husband and moved out of the White House, returning to live in New York City.
The latest Twitter speculation came from Friday’s visit by Donald and Melania Trump to a display of 23 crosses meant as makeshift memorials to the 23 Alabama tornado victims.
First three taken this morning. Fourth one recently for height comparison. Now unless Melania has shrank by about 6 inches (even Barron is taller than her) and grown jowels overnight, this ain't her. pic.twitter.com/4i6SPbVIom
— J?S??R ? ?C?U?L (@th3j35t3r) March 8, 2019
I have never really believed the Melania stunt-double conspiracy theories, but…..uh… https://t.co/91LR0BbXJE
— Travis (@LetsGoSac) March 8, 2019
One Twitter user claimed that the tell-tale sign of the supposed body double’s presence occurs when Trump and Melania are photographed hand-in-hand. In earlier videos, Melania has been perceived as apparently reluctant to hold hands with her husband.
She REALLY didn’t want to hold his hand… pic.twitter.com/CWUeDlN6RE
— ALB?RT MacGloan (@AlbertMacGloan) April 24, 2018
A video of Melania Trump leaving Air Force One in August of 2018 also set off the “body double” conspiracy theories, with one Twitter user analyzing the below video, and concluding that the woman depicted in the video was “20 pounds heavier” than the “real” Melania Trump.
Another claimed, “This is not Melania’s body language,” according to a New Zealand Herald account. “This lady steps forward and gives vigorous handshakes. Not Melania!”
The Melania Trump “body double” conspiracy theories became so prevalent online that the fact-checking site Snopes actually investigated the October 2017 claim in which — according to some Twitter users — certain photographs of “Melania Trump” showed a person with a wider, rounder face than the “real” Melania. But Snopes judged the rumors of a Melania double flatly “false.”
In that instance, according to Snopes, the seemingly altered appearance of Mrs. Trump’s face resulted not from substituting a different person for Melania herself, but simply because the image circulated on social media had been filmed off of a television screen, causing the image to distort.
