Earlier this week, First Lady Melania Trump was scheduled to join her husband on the campaign trail in the key battleground state of Pennsylvania, but backed out at the last moment because she reportedly had a “lingering cough.” So is the first lady — who was diagnosed with coronavirus a few weeks ago — healthy?
Now, however, there’s a even larger question being raised by a photo that’s been making the rounds on social media: Is Melania even really Melania?
According to The Sun:
“The conspiracy theory that Melania has a lookalike stand in for her at public events has been circulated on social media for years, resurfacing whenever proponents spot a slight change in her appearance.
“The latest round of speculation was fueled by a photo of Melania and her husband Donald Trump boarding Marine One on Thursday on their way to the final presidential debate.”
Here’s the photo causing all the chatter:
Can we have a serious discussion about #FakeMelania pic.twitter.com/dajeseb8Hr
— Ben Meiselas (@meiselasb) October 25, 2020
So, is that Melania? Kind of hard to tell with the sunglasses on.
According to Noel Casler, who was a showrunner on the Donald’s NBC show “The Celebrity Apprentice,” the White House does indeed use a body double for the first lady. Casler now works as a stand-up comedian, and he’s incredibly active on Twitter, sharing all sorts of dirt about the Trumps:
That fake Melania thing is real btw, Trump has used several stand-in’s just like in TV. I wonder if Mark Burnett still casts them…@realDonaldTrump https://t.co/HJqRc8SZRo
— NoelCaslerComedy (@CaslerNoel) October 25, 2020
There have been several-they mainly use them when it’s just gonna be long-distance photography from the press. The real Melania DGAF & isn’t gonna go lay wreaths or visit hurricane damage. She is unreliable and very unwilling. The ‘Christmas Tapes’ from Wolkoff show that side.
— NoelCaslerComedy (@CaslerNoel) October 25, 2020
The photo and Casler’s tweets started a hashtag that trended for several hours, #FakeMelania. And those wound up drawing lots of discussion from people who had their own opinions on the matter:
Look at her forehead & that smile, her nose! pic.twitter.com/xtFAC2qXlu
— StandForSomething (@StandForSomet10) October 25, 2020
Agree. Not really even close.
Think Fat Donny noticed?
Probably, ’cause she’s holding his hand.— Dump Fat Donny (@KrollMik123) October 25, 2020
Again, Melania has VERY distinct eyes. Those would be a giveaway. Also, Melania is 5’10” without heels.
— Eric “Wolf Man” Diesel, Working Man’s PhD. (@EricDiesel1972) October 25, 2020
There’s no way to confirm that there is indeed a duplicate Melania, but consider this: The Trump administration lies about everything. Why would this suddenly be the exception to that rule?