Nutty conspiracy theories around Melania Trump, who prepares to become the First Lady for the second time, are endemic – from working for Putin to she’s a ‘remarkable machine’ with ‘cold, dead eyes’
Melania Trump has been the subject of wild conspiracy theories as her husband Donald gunned for a second stint in the Oval Office.
The 54-year-old Slovenian-American ex-model, who drew attention as the 45th First Lady, is back in the spotlight with the Trumps’ return to the political fray. Throughout her time in the public eye, Melania has stood by Donald at numerous rallies, state visits and dinners, but her sporadic appearances have fuelled some bonkers rumours.
As the 2024 US Election geared up, the mum-of-one was noticeably MIA from Trump’s campaign trail. However, on the rare occasion she surfaced, her penchant for oversized sunnies sparked bizarre whispers of body doubles and even robotic replacements, reports the Mirror – here are the most nutty.
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‘Body double’ buzz at Trump bashes
The doppelganger drama kicked off when Melania was seen next to her husband on the White House’s South Lawn during his presidency. Her face mostly hidden behind big shades, she stayed silent while Donald chatted with the press.
X went into overdrive, with sleuths suggesting the woman beside Trump was a “Fake Melania”. One user wrote: “This is not Melania. To think they would go this far and try and make us think it’s her on TV is mind blowing. Makes me wonder what else is a lie.”
The user claimed that former President Trump suspiciously introduced his spouse by saying: “My wife Melania, she’s right here” in a manner that seemed like he was “try[ing] to convince the media it was her”. Trump has slammed certain media as “deranged”, alleging they’ve doctored images of Melania to stir up conspiracy talk.
Dismissing the claims, Melania’s then-communications chief Stephanie Grisham told CNN: “Once again, we find ourselves consumed with a ridiculous non-story when we could be talking about the work the first lady is doing on behalf of children.”
Yet, as Melania appeared to vote with Trump in the 2024 US Election, murmurs bubbled up anew. Her sombre ensemble prompted whispers online, with some quipping she was “looking like she is attending a funeral for her husband’s political career”.
On top of that, many people were convinced that Melania wasn’t the real deal. One X user wrote that “Melania’s been wearing sunglasses inside all day today,” posting footage of the couple at the polling place. Another added: “The check didn’t clear in time for the real Melania to make an appearance, so they had to bring the doppelganger off the bench.”
Another sceptic questioned the authenticity of Melania, suggesting: “That’s the double, not Melania, easy to see when she smiles and that’s what the glasses are for.” However, their conspiracy was debunked when Melania eventually took off her large sunglasses, allowing the paparazzi to snap clear shots of her face.
‘Russian spy’ theory
More wild whispers suggest Melania could be a covert Russian agent. Conspiracy buffs pointed to her conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin during a 2017 G-20 Summit dinner as ‘evidence’. She was also born in in Slovenia which was then part of communist Yugoslavia.
However, Melania doesn’t speak Russian. Her linguistic arsenal includes English, French, German, Italian, and Serbian along with her mother tongue, Slovenian. Melania landed in New York back in 1996 when she was just 26 years old.
These rumours are fuelled by her husband’s seemingly Russia-sympathetic actions, but there’s no evidence that Melania and Putin regularly meet up, or that she has ever taken part in espionage.
‘Replaced by robot’
Some netizens have speculated that Melania has been switched out with a robot. One X user remarked: “Melania Trump was replaced by a very lifelike robot 14 years ago the only giveaway from this remarkable machine is the cold, dead eyes.”
In an even wilder twist, someone speculated that the First Lady had “died on election night 2016 and was replaced by a Russian robot”.
But of course, there’s no solid evidence Melania being subbed out for a robotic double either