Melania Trump's Height Once Sent Body Double Conspiracy Theories Into Overdrive

It's practically tradition at this point: Marry a U.S. president, and you inherit a lifetime subscription to a niche internet conspiracy theory that refuses to die. Nancy Reagan had her sex rumors; Hillary Clinton was accused of dozens of murders; and Michelle Obama was apparently not so secretly male. But when it comes to Melania Trump, the most persistent theory is strange and yet also oddly convincing. Fake Melania rumors have simmered for years, with online sleuths pointing to everything from awkward hand-holding to frozen smiles as indisputable evidence. 

It doesn't help that Melania and Donald Trump don't exactly seem genuine — even Queen Elizabeth was reportedly suspicious about the Trumps' marriage. But in 2019, it was the first lady's height that really sent the rumor mill into overdrive. During several public appearances, she appeared noticeably shorter than usual, as well as frumpier and more hunched over. And the internet took notice.

It's bizarre that they trot out #FakeMelania, thinking no one will notice. This one's shorter + looks nothing like her!

Melania Trump is the same height as Michelle Obama: 5'11"
Barack Obama is 6'1"; Trump *says* he's 6'3", but looks to be as tall as Obama

Where's the REAL one? pic.twitter.com/3DqtT02O65

— #PassTheERA, dammit! (@TheMominatrixx) March 9, 2019

One post on X, formerly known as Twitter, which generated thousands of likes, actually placed the "different" looking Melanias side by side, calling out the Trump administration for so blatantly trying to trick the American public. "It's bizarre that they trot out #FakeMelania, thinking no one will notice. This one's shorter + looks nothing like her! [...] Where's the REAL one?" they wrote.

Conspiracy theorists offered these images and the fact that Melania Trump has a knack for disappearing from public view as evidence of something untoward going on behind the scenes. But of course there was a gaping plot hole; one quick glance shows that "Short Melania" was simply not wearing heels. And although she looked unusually dowdy, the former model wasn't the only one. Her husband Donald Trump was equally disheveled, tired, older, and possibly even jet-lagged to boot. If there is a Melania body double, these photos are definitely not definitive proof of it.

That said, the president's response to the conspiracy theories might make you reconsider this ostensibly loopy belief. Instead of ignoring the rumors or simply pointing out the flats that Melania wore on the day, he claimed the images were altered in some way. Never mind the fact that multiple media outlets captured the exact same shots. "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," Donald angrily posted on X. Naturally, though, this only fueled the fire even more.

As one X user put it: "I'm not a #FakeMelania proponent, but no one photoshopped her. The fact that you're tweeting about it does make me consider that the stand in idea might actually be true." Unfortunately, the first lady may never fully escape the body double theories, but considering that her own husband actively propagated the Barack Obama birth certificate controversy, it does kind of seem like karma.