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Clip of US First Lady in Normandy sparks new ‘body double’ conspiracy theory

There’s a bizarre conspiracy theory about the US First Lady that refuses to die — and apparently, it all comes down to her sunglasses.

Alexis CareyAlexis Carey
@carey_alexis
3 min read
June 12, 2019 - 1:34PM
Melania Trump: The bizarre history of America's First Lady

A video of US president Donald Trump and his wife in Normandy has reignited a popular conspiracy theory about the First Lady.

For more than a year now, many theorists have been convinced Melania Trump employs a body double to stand in for her at some public events.

The White House has shot down the rumours, and in March this year Mr Trump himself hit back, claiming the photographic “evidence” of his third wife’s body double had been photoshopped.

“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!” he tweeted.

But just like other high-profile conspiracy theories — like the moon landing being staged, and the Illuminati controlling the world — diehard believers just won’t give up.

And the rumours began swirling yet again during the Trumps’ visit to the French region for the 75th Commemoration of D-Day in France earlier this month.

During the trip, they met President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte, with the group visiting the Normandy American Cemetery, where more than 9000 US troops killed in World War II are buried.

The Trumps’ visit to Normandy has raised eyebrows. Picture: Mandel Ngan/AFP
The Trumps’ visit to Normandy has raised eyebrows. Picture: Mandel Ngan/AFP

A short clip of the visit was recently posted to Twitter by US political website The Hill — and it immediately sparked claims the woman accompanying the American President was actually a body double standing in for the real Mrs Trump.

The video shows the First Lady dressed in black holding a bunch of flowers and placing them before a grave.

But it was one accessory — her dark sunglasses — that many Twitter users claimed was”proof” it was actually “fake Melania” in the footage.

Conspiracists claim these sunglasses are a clue ‘fake Melania’ is back. Picture: Twitter/@thehill
Conspiracists claim these sunglasses are a clue ‘fake Melania’ is back. Picture: Twitter/@thehill

“You can always tell by the sunglasses and wig combo (hair is slightly diff than actual Melania), but she’s a little shorter than Melania,” one Twitter user claimed, while another said: “Anytime you see her wearing glasses it’s the body double. You can also tell it’s the double because Trump is super handsy with her like never is with Melania.”

Many also argued her body language did not match Mrs Trump’s.

And other photos and videos of the couple taken during their Normandy visit also inspired similar allegations.

According to conspiracy theorists, the US First Lady regularly uses a body double to impersonate her at public occasions, with many pointing out discrepancies between “fake Melania” and the “real” Mrs Trump’s appearance.

The theory first took off back in October 2017 after actor and comedian Andrea Wagner Barton posted about it on Facebook.

Many who believe in the theory are convinced Mrs Trump’s body double is a secret service agent who has an uncanny resemblance to the First Lady — and the rumours have been fuelled further by Melania Trump’s penchant for sunglasses, clothing and accessories that often cover part of her face.

Since then, the theory has cropped up again and again whenever Mrs Trump is seen in public looking or acting unusual.

It last made headlines in March this year during a presidential visit to Alabama after WSFA 12 News reporter Sally Pitts shared a picture of the couple visiting a memorial on Twitter.

And in July 2018, the bizarre theory went into overdrive after the President and his wife were pictured stepping off Air Force One in Brussels ahead of a NATO summit.

But the First Lady isn’t the first celebrity to be accused of using a decoy.

In 2016, there were claims Hillary Clinton had been replaced by a body double and even a hologram after she collapsed at a 9/11 memorial service in New York with pneumonia.

And last year, some theorists claimed a bizarre video of Meghan Markle appearing to “glitch” was evidence the now Duchess of Sussex had been replaced by a robot.

Continue the conversation @carey_alexis | alexis.carey@news.com.au

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Original URL: https://www.news.com.au/finance/work/leaders/clip-of-us-first-lady-in-normandy-sparks-new-body-double-claims/news-story/1abe58d200a29abcf1a0aee88b1c1575