Melania Trump 'body double' conspiracy theory returns over Pope Francis funeral photo

Melania Trump’s relationship with husband and US president Donald Trump has long been subject to speculation - to the extent that she released a book last year to “clarify the facts” after being “the subject of public scrutiny and misrepresentation” - and now the conspiracy theory that she has a “fake” or “body double” has returned.

The belief that the first lady has a body double gained significant traction in 2017, when it concerned a picture of Melania wearing glasses and a hat while exiting Air Force One in Texas, and comments from Trump about how his wife “really wanted to be with us” when he visited the US state after Hurricane Irma - even though she was right next to him.

An appearance in Alabama in March 2019 prompted the theories to circulate once again, as did a photo of Melania smiling inside Marine One in October 2020.

Even Trump himself has attacked the theories, claiming in 2019 - without evidence - that the “fake news” doctored images of his wife on Photoshop and then “propelled conspiracy theories that it’s actually not her by my side”.

The latest instance of the conspiracy theory followed the funeral of Pope Francis on Saturday (April 26), and it concerned a photo of the US president - who broke the dress code for the ceremony with his blue suit - and Melania at St Peter’s Square at The Vatican.

Several tweets - each with thousands of likes - have questioned if it’s really Melania though:

Or is it a fake, asked another:

And this wasn’t the only time the Trumps’ attendance at the funeral made headlines, as videos have circulated online purporting to show the president on his phone during the event, and the Republican had his first meeting with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky since their catastrophic conversation in the Oval Office back in February.

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