Melania Trump at Center of Viral Social Media Debate Following First Photos After COVID-19 Diagnosis

First Lady Melania Trump recently returned to the public eye ahead of the third and final [...]

First Lady Melania Trump recently returned to the public eye ahead of the third and final presidential debate this week. After a bout with the coronavirus alongside husband Donald Trump, FLOTUS stepped out in a sleek black dress to accompany him to the debate in Nashville.

But her return ushered another return for the First Lady in the form of rumors she has a stand-in or lookalike. A photo taken by Bloomberg photographers at The White House shows Trump and her husband entering Marine One, looking out from the chopper with smiles on their faces. It doesn't seem suspect on the surface layer. Still, many on social media decided it was once again fake Melania Trump alongside Donald Trump.

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(Photo: Bloomberg, Getty)

Conspiracy sleuths on Twitter decided to zoom in, enhance and twist the photo every which way but loose to determine if the woman on the helicopter is Melania Trump. Some concluded that "Melania's" facial features and height do not add up.

It isn't a new conspiracy theory and is shades of the more tame days before Pizzagate and Q Anon ruined them by transforming into something the mainstream would grab hold to study. Fake Melania can't be true, but for some online it is and this is the latest chapter in that saga. They compare photos, look at distinct facial features, analyze wrinkles and measure the height of shoes.

The speculation isn't that something sinister is behind the need for faking Melania Trump's presence, it is that her husband has hired body doubles to portray the First Lady when she doesn't want to accompany him on campaign trips or media appearances. It's a natural evolution from the stories we see from their physical interactions in public and the hand slapping moments they share.

Trump has denied the theory as "fake news," but there is always just enough there to give people enough to sink their teeth into the dramatic idea. And in a world of disinformation, partially created thanks to Trump's presidency, it is only fitting that they would receive a conspiracy theory fit for media consumption.

That said, it is unlikely to have a fake Melania Trump out walking around with the president. It just seems like a waste when she's perfectly capable of putting up with him before his presidency. Why would she change gears now? There is also no solid proof. So it is just one of those aspects of political intrigue that people feel like investigating. Reality must not be exciting enough.

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