The visit by President Trump and first lady Melania Trump to tornado-ravaged Alabama set Twitter alight Saturday, thanks to a conspiracy theory that claims that a body double occasionally replaces the first lady at public events.
The #FakeMelania conspiracy appears to have originated in 2017 when Twitter user Joe Vargas — whose bio suggests he is the founder and CEO of a hemp oil company — posted a now-viral tweet with a video of the couple that focuses on Melania Trump’s face to claim that the first lady is not herself.
This is not Melania. To think they would go this far & try & make us think its her on TV is mind blowing. Makes me wonder what else is a lie pic.twitter.com/JhPVmXdGit
— The Don of CBD (@JoeVargas) October 18, 2017
While Vargas’ claims were disproved by fact-checkers and denied by the White House, Twitter users were quick to feed into the conspiracy, even a year and a half later.
The recasting of Melania is the worst I’ve seen since they recast Aunt Viv in Fresh Prince #fakemelania pic.twitter.com/HDIMi7FDAh
— James Corscadden???? (@jamescorscadden) March 9, 2019
Users compared her height, nose, hair, and general demeanor this week to suggest that Melania Trump was not, in fact, “Melania” and instead a lookalike.
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
— JΞSŦΞR ✪ ΔCŦUΔL³³º¹ (@th3j35t3r) March 8, 2019
Some users even shared theories regarding the identity of the alleged body double, suggesting the first lady was replaced by a Secret Service agent.
And another shot of the agent. She’s wearing heels too but is shorter than Melania, as others have pointed out in #FakeMelania pix with Trump pic.twitter.com/BCzw7ZAGLx
— Schadenfreude Sally (@ResistMeena) March 9, 2019
But while most #FakeMelania Twitter posts have subscribed to the conspiracy, there have been users using the hashtag to denounce the idea as well.
#FakeMelania Hair, makeup, lighting, shoes and clothing can make people look vastly different from photo to photo. As much as Melania probably WISHES she had a clone or a body double, it honestly just looks like an unaltered photo where she has less makeup on than usual.
— PositivePyramids (@PositivePyrami1) March 9, 2019
“Hair, makeup, lighting, shoes and clothing can make people look vastly different from photo to photo,” one user wrote. “As much as Melania probably WISHES she had a clone or a body double, it honestly just looks like an unaltered photo where she has less makeup on than usual.”
The couple visited Alabama on Friday to meet with victims and view damage from the tornadoes that tore through the state early in the week. At least 23 people died in the wake of the tornado, which was estimated to have packed winds of 160 miles per hour.
