Did Melania Trump send a body-double to vote in US election? Internet thinks so because…

Melania Trump appeared with Donald Trump to vote in Florida, but her choice to wear sunglasses indoors led to renewed speculation on 'imposter Melania' theories

Updated on: Nov 6, 2024, 10:02:10 IST

By Sanya Jain

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Melania Trump made an increasingly rare public appearance alongside husband Donald Trump as the couple cast their vote in the US presidential election Tuesday. However, internet users could not help but notice that the Former First Lady of the United States refused to take off her sunglasses indoors - prompting a regeneration of ‘fake Melania’ conspiracy theories.

Melania Trump wearing sunglasses indoors sent social media into a tizzy (Getty Images via AFP)

Donald and Melania Trump cast their votes at the Mandel Recreation Centre in West Palm Beach, Florida, on November 5. Footage of Melania, 54, standing quietly beside her husband, wearing a dress and sunglasses, quickly began to do the rounds of the internet.

“Melania’s been wearing sunglasses inside all day today,” reads one post on X that has gone viral with a staggering 34 million views. The post includes a video that shows the Trumps greeting supporters at the polling station.

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump wore a red MAGA hat, but Melania gave even the signature MAGA colour a miss as she chose a black dress and sunglasses.

Melania or fake Melania?

The video sparked conspiracy theories about ‘imposter Melania’ once again. The Melania Trump "imposter" conspiracy theories began circulating during Donald Trump's presidency, suggesting that Melania Trump sometimes used a body double for public appearances.

This time, too, many X users floated the possibility that Donald Trump had used a body double of his wife Melania.

“That’s the double, not Melania , easy to see when she smiles and that’s what the glasses are for,” wrote one X user.

“That’s fake Melania,” another wrote. Dozens of X users said “that’s not Melania” under the viral video.

Some even tried to offer photographic evidence to explain why they felt Melania Trump had sent a body double in her stead.

“The Melania double looks awfully nervous,” read one post on the social media platform. “I swear I'm not into the whole body double conspiracy thing but like...that obviously isn't Melania,” another person opined.

However, other videos show that Melania did eventually take off her sunglasses as she addressed supporters.

Melania is a Slovenia-born former model who married Donald Trump in 2005. They have a son named Barron Trump.

(Also read: This India-based actress voted in US presidential election, internet surprised to learn she’s an American citizen)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sanya Jain
Sanya Jain is an Assistant Editor with Hindustan Times Digital. She has nearly a decade of experience in covering offbeat stories that speak to the everyday experience - from viral videos to human interest copies that spark conversation. Her interests stretch across business, pop culture, social media trends, entertainment and global affairs. Before joining Hindustan Times, Sanya spent two years with Moneycontrol and five years with NDTV. She holds an undergraduate degree in English literature from St Stephen’s College, Delhi, and a master’s in journalism from the Xavier Institute of Communications, Mumbai. Sanya has a sharp eye for spotting emerging trends and looking for newsworthy angles to elevate viral posts into meaningful narratives. She was the first one, for example, to cover Narayana Murthy’s remark on 70-hour work weeks that sparked a national conversation. She is equally at ease writing about business leaders as about the common man, about issues of national importance and memes that amuse social media. Sanya enjoys speaking with content creators, newsmakers and entrepreneurs to transform everyday moments into engaging, slice-of-life stories that resonate with readers. When she is not working, Sanya can be found curled up with a good book. Born and raised in Lucknow, she has spent the last several years in Delhi. She is deeply interested in animal welfare and now spends a lot of her time running after her destructive orange cat.Read More

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