New photo reignites wild Melania Trump body double rumours

The wild "Fake Melania" online conspiracy theory has reared its head once more, with one recent photograph leaving many convinced a lookalike body double was standing in for the US First Lady.

The photograph, taken on October 22, shows Melania and husband Donald Trump boarding Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington. Melania is shown smiling, large dark glasses masking much of her face:

The real Melania? Some aren't convinced. Photo / Getty

As the photo circulated online today, many insisted they were convinced it wasn't the "real" Melania and pointed to older photos that they claimed also suggested the use of body doubles. Of particular concern, Melania's smile in the photo, which many claimed did not match her smile in other photos:

The only thing I'll miss from this administration is them swapping in new Melanias and just pretending we won't notice like a 4-year-old with a guppy pic.twitter.com/8J0A4E9z5H

— Zack Bornstein (@ZackBornstein) October 25, 2020

OMG...THAT'S. NOT. MELANIA.
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 https://t.co/1KDat3xYJa

— BrooklynDad_Defiant! (@mmpadellan) October 25, 2020

Good luck finding any photos of Melania smiling like that. https://t.co/6pwZTUObDR pic.twitter.com/5dgQKW2S84

— The Ghost of George Conway (@gtconway3dg) October 25, 2020

#FakeMelania's got a tell: she's happy when he's around. pic.twitter.com/HIX6XTPZzA

— David (@mmasoccerfan) October 25, 2020

Swipe these two photos back & forth. Notice the two front teeth. Melania’s are more squared...THAT AIN’T HER in the other photo. #FakeMelania pic.twitter.com/ge18TBarhy

— BlueinaRedState (@RedStateBlues20) October 25, 2020

Conspiracy theories claiming Trump used body doubles to stand in for his wife have circulated for years now – back in 2018, some were convinced this was a "fake Melania" exiting Air Force One:

This new Melania double is weak sauce. #wheresmelania pic.twitter.com/yAsbR7CuQJ

— Johnny Killoran (@metroville) July 10, 2018

The First Lady's body double rumours first went viral back in October 2017, after actor and comedian Andrea Wagner Barton posted her theory on Facebook.

And Melania isn't the only US political figure to be accused of using a decoy.

In 2016, there were claims Hillary Clinton had been replaced by a body double after she collapsed at a 9/11 memorial service in New York after a battle with pneumonia.

The bizarre body double rumours come after Melania and husband Donald Trump appeared to suffer a very awkward moment at the end of the final US Presidential debate this week.

Footage shows the pair walking off the stage hand-in-hand before Melania can be seen quickly tugging her hand away from the president.

Before the debate Melania was photographed alongside Trump for the first time since testing positive to Covid-19 three weeks ago.