After First Lady Melania Trump’s attendance at a military parade in Washington over the weekend, conspiracy theorists worried about her well-being were out in full force.
The U.S. Army march through the streets of Washington, D.C., this Saturday, June 14, coincided with Donald Trump’s 79th birthday, and let’s be honest, it was most likely the US president’s wildest dream come true.
The procession garnered a lot of interest on the internet, with viewers commenting on the unimpressive marching abilities of US soldiers, the strange reference to parade sponsor Coinbase, and the appearance of Melania Trump, President Trump’s rarely seen wife.
Her appearance over the weekend reignited curiosity about one of the strangest conspiracy theories on the internet: the Melania Trump replacement hypothesis. The 55-year-old is well-known for appearing to shun the political spotlight and First Lady duties.
What is the Melania Trump replacement conspiracy theory?
The 2017 idea, also referred to as “Fake Melania” or “Melania Trump body double,” contends that the First Lady is occasionally or consistently replaced by a doppelganger.
The theory was inadvertently created by viral tweet by a journalist from The Guardian, which read: “Absolutely convinced Melania is being played by a Melania impersonator these days. Theory: she left him weeks ago.”
Some who support this view argue that the real Melania is either deceased, divorced from her husband, or just doesn’t want to be a public figure.
According to a source, Melania spent ‘less than 14 days’ in the White House during the first 100 days of her husband’s presidency (via The New York Times), which has rekindled interest in the hypothesis.
After all, when she emigrated to America and married the former businessman, I doubt she ever imagined that her address would ever be the White House.
What did viewers say about Melania Trump’s appearance at the US military parade?
Since the hypothesis became popular, viewers have been closely examining all of Melania Trump’s public appearances.
The First Lady was not hidden by her usual shades or big hats when she attended the parade on Saturday. This, however, was insufficient to stop conspiracy theorists.
The former model appears to be happy and involved in the first few moments of some of the parade’s films, but subsequent ones show her seeming indifferent and even “asleep.”
Taking to social media, one person gave a painstakingly detailed analysis of her appearance, facial expression and even size, writing, “Don’t think that’s really Melania Trump… she seems nice and warm and older and wider… is that a body double?!!”
“It’s not really Melania. I’m a Republican, voted for Trump every time he ran and would again. But, this is a body double and not a very good one,” a second person added.
What has Trump said about the conspiracy theory?
Although Melania has not yet addressed the most recent round of rumours, her husband did call the hypothesis “fake news” in 2018.
Following Fox & Friend’s coverage of the theory, he tweeted at the time: “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.”
“They are only getting more deranged with time!”
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