Is Melania Trump real? Nowadays, it’s almost a given that if you marry a US president, you will get a lifetime subscription to a niche conspiracy theory on the internet that never goes away. Michelle Obama was reportedly not so covertly masculine, Hillary Clinton was charged with dozens of murders, and Nancy Reagan was the subject of sex rumors.
However, the most persistent notion regarding Melania Trump is peculiar, yet weirdly compelling. Online detectives have been pointing to anything from awkward hand-holding to frozen smiles as unquestionable proof of the long-simmering fake Melania accusations.
Even Queen Elizabeth apparently had doubts about the Trumps’ marriage, which doesn’t help that Melania and Donald Trump don’t exactly look sincere. However, the height of the first lady in 2019 was what really set the rumor mill in motion. She seemed much shorter than usual, more stooped, and frumpier during a number of public appearances. And the internet noticed.
It’s bizarre that they trot out #FakeMelania, thinking no one will notice. This one’s shorter + looks nothing like her!
Melania Trump is the same height as Michelle Obama: 5’11”
Barack Obama is 6’1”; Trump *says* he’s 6’3”, but looks to be as tall as ObamaWhere’s the REAL one? pic.twitter.com/3DqtT02O65
— #PassTheERA, dammit! (@TheMominatrixx) March 9, 2019
The “different” Melanias were actually positioned side by side in a post on X, now known as Twitter, that received thousands of likes and exposed the Trump administration’s flagrant attempts to deceive the American people. “It’s bizarre that they trot out #FakeMelania, thinking no one will notice. This one’s shorter + looks nothing like her! […] Where’s the REAL one?” they wrote.
These pictures, along with Melania Trump’s propensity to vanish from public view, were used by conspiracy theorists as proof that something nefarious was happening behind the scenes. Naturally, there was a huge plot hole; a cursory look reveals that “Short Melania” was just not wearing heels.
The former beauty wasn’t alone in her abnormally dowdy appearance. Donald Trump, her spouse, was also unkempt, worn out, elderly, and perhaps even jet-lagged. These pictures are by no means conclusive evidence of a Melania body double.
The president’s response to the conspiracy theories, however, might make you think again about this seemingly insane belief. He asserted that the photos were somehow manipulated rather than dismissing the accusations or even mentioning the flats Melania wore that day. Ignore the fact that the same photos were taken by several different media outlets.
“The Fake News photoshopped pictures of Melania, then propelled conspiracy theories that it’s actually not her by my side in Alabama and other places,” Donald angrily posted on X. Naturally, though, this only fueled the fire even more.
Fact. Melania had a body double. No First Lady in history had a body double except Trump’s wife. pic.twitter.com/n2LZwbxa5D
— Leasha Knight 🇺🇲🦅 (@LeashaKnight) October 23, 2022
As one X user put it: “I’m not a #FakeMelania proponent, but no one photoshopped her. The fact that you’re tweeting about it does make me consider that the stand in idea might actually be true.” Unfortunately the first lady may never completely escape the body double claims, it does seem like karma given that her own husband actively promoted the Barack Obama birth certificate debate.
