NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Lifestyle

Footage reignites Melania Trump body double claims among conspiracy theorists

news.com.au
24 Dec, 2018 08:00 PM4 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Is Melania Trump using a body double? / The View

This was one of Lifestyle's top stories in 2018
A new video of Melania Trump has sparked fresh claims the US First Lady is using a body double.

The footage, which shows US president Donald Trump and his wife boarding Air Force One in Columbus, Ohio, was captured on August 24.

But scores of conspiracy theorists have claimed the appearance and body language of the woman in the clip is dramatically different to the "real" Mrs Trump.

Does Melania Trump have a body double? Photos / Twitter
Does Melania Trump have a body double? Photos / Twitter

Sceptics quickly shared the video online, with many pointing out the woman's hair seemed to be darker than the First Lady's.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"Not her. Not her posture, profile, poses. No sir, no way, no how," one Twitter user claimed, while another added: " … hair colour and hair parting wrong, blouse wrong, jacket collar wrong, logo on sunglasses missing on double … it defo ain't her."

Does this look like Melania? pic.twitter.com/2YXsMh5D6u

— The Resistance 🇺🇸 (@NightlyPolitics) August 25, 2018

Others pointed out the supposed "body double" appeared to be larger than the 48-year-old with radically different facial features.

"It's a body double that weighs a good 20lbs [9kg] more. You can see it in the round face and the 'tummy'. Hair is a totally different colour and the hairline isn't the same," one said, while another posted: "No way, look at the face, it's fuller, Melania has high cheek bones" and another said: "Look at that profile. It's not her."

Some Twitter users even claimed the body language was all wrong, with the woman in the film coming across as more confident and assertive than Mrs Trump.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"This is not Melania's body language," one posted, with another adding: "This lady steps forward and gives vigorous handshakes. Not Melania!"

Some argued the "body double" was a "paid off model" while others were convinced it was a bodyguard stepping in to play the First Lady or even a "clone" of the real thing.

#DisgraceIn4Words
Melania Trump's body-double. pic.twitter.com/NiinI3EOCD

— Janell8ItAll (@LiveLoveLifeDo) August 25, 2018

Many compared photos of Mrs Trump taken earlier that day to the image in the video, claiming the pair must have switched places at some point.

Of course, the body double claims are nothing new, with the rumours first surfacing in October last year when actor and comedian Andrea Wagner Barton posted her theory on Facebook.

Discover more

World

Melania tries to cut Trump's KFC habit

18 Aug 08:29 PM
World

Omarosa claims Trump is holding wife Melania hostage

19 Aug 02:14 AM
World

Melania Trump: The First Lady of Mystery

19 Aug 02:19 AM
World

Is Melania trolling her husband? A peek inside the Trumps' marital power play

23 Aug 04:48 AM

And last month speculation was reignited when pictures of a very different looking FLOTUS, who was in Brussels for the NATO summit, raised eyebrows.

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

— Johnny Killoran (@metroville) July 10, 2018

It followed the mother-of-one's mysterious, weeks-long absence from the public eye after an announcement made by her staff on May 14 revealed she had undergone an embolisation procedure to treat a kidney condition, which was described as benign.

She remained in a military hospital for five nights before returning to the White House on May 19 to recover, and wasn't seen for almost a month.

Her absence sparked endless rumours, with some believing her illness was used as an excuse to cover up the fact she had moved back to Trump Tower in New York with 12-year-old son Barron, or had undergone a facelift.

According to the popular conspiracy theory, Mrs Trump has a body double who takes her place at public events at certain times, and it has been fuelled by her penchant for sunglasses, clothing and accessories that often cover part of her face.

Melania's body double? pic.twitter.com/itBES20eLb

— Jarica Davis #VoteBlue 💙🏳️‍🌈#WashHands 👐🏼🧼🚰 (@jaricadavis) September 14, 2017

Those who believe in the theory cite the First Lady's changing appearance as "proof", while some have also pointed out a secret service agent with an uncanny resemblance to Mrs Trump.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Save

    Share this article

Latest from Lifestyle

Lifestyle

Recovering from surgery isn’t easy - exercising in the water can help

23 Jun 08:19 AM
Premium
Lifestyle

Go ahead, have a ‘fridge cigarette’

23 Jun 06:00 AM
Lifestyle

Neve Ardern Gayford shows off 'American twang' in 7th birthday video

23 Jun 12:00 AM

Inside Leigh Hart’s bonkers quest to hand-deliver a SnackaChangi chip to every Kiwi

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Lifestyle

Recovering from surgery isn’t easy - exercising in the water can help

Recovering from surgery isn’t easy - exercising in the water can help

23 Jun 08:19 AM

Warm water in therapeutic pools reduces swelling and eases joint pressure.

Premium
Go ahead, have a ‘fridge cigarette’

Go ahead, have a ‘fridge cigarette’

23 Jun 06:00 AM
Neve Ardern Gayford shows off 'American twang' in 7th birthday video

Neve Ardern Gayford shows off 'American twang' in 7th birthday video

23 Jun 12:00 AM
Jacinda Ardern's daughter Neve shows 'American twang' in birthday video

Jacinda Ardern's daughter Neve shows 'American twang' in birthday video

Why wallpaper works wonders
sponsored

Why wallpaper works wonders

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP