Donald Trump’s second presidential victory has sent shockwaves around the world. A convicted felon, who attempted to overturn the results of the previous election and has twice been impeached, has been voted into office in one of the world’s most powerful countries – with almost 71 million votes.

The news has left many of us around the world with questions. What will this mean for women’s reproductive rights? How will Trump’s often hate-filled rhetoric impact minorities? And, for us especially, what will this mean for UK relations with the economic giant?  One would think those pressing concerns would be enough to contend with, and yet there is something entirely more ludicrious troubling certain corners of the internet: whether or not the new US president was with a ‘Melania Trump body double’ at the polling station this week.

That’s right, the ‘fake Melania’ conspiracy reared its ugly head again after America’s new first Lady was seen casting her vote in West Palm Beach in Florida wearing  large sunglasses indoors, that commentators claim she never took off. That’s the ‘fake Melania’ smoking gun – yes, seriously.

In an instant, sleuths on the internet were saying the woman was ‘obviously not Melania’ and writing ‘that’s not Melania. This is insane’. Even ‘body language experts’ weighed in on the debate and said Melania looked ‘markedly different’ to her usual self.

The conspiracy theory now has been debunked as there is plenty of video footage of Melania removing the sunglasses where her face can clearly be identified. However, this is either ignored or of little interest to those who indulge in and disseminate such theories online.

In fact, the ‘fake Melania’ conspiracy is well established. It first began in 2017 when it was suggested that Melania is routinely replaced by a body double with certain offshoots going as far as to suggest the ‘real’ Melania was either dead or refused to attend public events with her husband.

In an age of abundant misinformation, what can often start off as a sardonic quip on social media has the potential to take on a life of its own. Apparently, it was The Guardian columnist Marina Hyde who first tweeted, ‘Absolutely convinced Melania is being played by a Melania impersonator these days. Theory: she left him weeks ago’ back in 2017. As a credible broadsheet journalist, it’s highly unlikely that Hyde could have ever anticipated her light-hearted post being taken at face value and spiralling into conspiracy madness.

Those who believe in the theory reportedly look for discrepancies in her facial features, her posture, her gait and her behaviour. Donald even addressed the theory himself on X during his first presidency, denouncing it as ‘fake news’.

However, there are people who seriously question the legitimacy of Melania and Trump’s relationship – many of whom are emboldened by such theories. During Trump’s election campaign, for example, Melania’s absence was noted on several occasions. She did not attend any of his rallies at the start of the summer, or his first presidential debate against Joe Biden in June. She also wasn’t in attendance during his hush money trial hearings, or when he was found guilty in May.

Not only this, but Melania published an eponymous memoir in October where she takes a marked stance against her husband when it comes to abortion. She wrote, ‘It is imperative to guarantee that women have autonomy in deciding their preference of having children, based on their own convictions, free from any intervention or pressure from the government.’

Given that her husband oversaw the overturning of Roe vs Wade, denying some women the constitutional right to an abortion, her position raised more serious questions about their relationship. For most people, that included whether their relationship will last and whether Melania has any real desire to return to the White House with her husband. For others, however, it presented another opportunity to dig up radical ideas from the past.

With Trump re-elected for a second term, it’s likely that the ‘Melania Trump replacement theory’ will find its way back into the mainstream. Unfortunately, Melania is not the first or the last person to be subjected to this kind of conspiracy. In March, speculation that a body double was being used for the Princess of Wales reached frenzied levels because she had not been seen in public since Christmas. This was not helped when the palace posted a photo of Kate Middleton and her three children on Mother’s Day and later admitted that it had been photoshopped.

In hindsight, we know she stepped back from public life after being diagnosed with cancer, but before the news was confirmed her absence gave rise to a medley of outlandish theories.

The extent to which these theories were shared online – either sincerely or mockingly – speaks to how accustomed we have become to consuming misinformation. It is something that is increasingly difficult to monitor and something Trump, who shared a series of AI-generated images during his campaign, is himself a pedaller of.

Regardless, when Trump declared victory at his watch party in Florida, he had his wife Melania (yes, really), his daughter Ivanka and his vice president JD Vance by his side. 

The President-elect said, ‘I want to thank the American people for the extraordinary honour of being elected your 47th president and your 45th president. […] This will truly be the golden age of America – that’s what we have to know.’

He went on to thank his ‘beautiful wife Melania, First Lady, who has the number one bestselling book in the country’. 

As Trump and Melania prepare to return to the White House, people are right to question everything he says and does. Whether  or not the woman in big sunglasses at the polling station was really his wife, however, isn’t really up for debate.