‘That’s not her’: First Lady’s appearance at Trump rally sparks new claims of ‘fake Melania’

Conspiracy theories of “fake Melania” are circulating on social media for the second time this week, sparked by new images of the First Lady of the United States at a campaign rally with her husband Donald Trump.

The footage in question shows Melania, who has often been the subject of bizarre rumors suggesting she uses similar body doubles to replace her at some public events, kissing her husband on stage during the rally.

The couple’s faces are partially blocked by a teleprompter, but as the clip continues, Melania returns to the frame, her face partially covered in large dark sunglasses:

Many online are convinced that Melania is not what they see in the 15-second clip:

However, other photos taken at the same rally may make conspiracy theorists think twice:

A photograph shared online earlier this week prompted a similar conjecture as to whether or not viewers were seeing the “real” Melania: The photograph, taken on October 22, showed Melania again in large dark glasses, climbing the Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House. in Washington with her husband.

Conspiracy theories claiming that Trump used body doubles to replace his wife have been around for years, despite being widely discredited; in 2018, some were convinced that it was a ‘fake Melania’ coming out of Air Force One:

Rumors about the First Lady’s body double first went viral in October 2017, after actress and comedian Andrea Wagner Barton posted her theory on Facebook.

And Melania is not the only American political figure accused of using a decoy.

In 2016, there were claims that Hillary Clinton had been replaced by a body double after she collapsed at a September 11 memorial service in New York after a battle with pneumonia.