'Fake Melania' theory trends again after first lady holds Donald Trump's hands

The wild conspiracy theories that there are body doubles of Melania Trump, the first lady of the United States, have surfaced on Twitter once again.

Discussions around the 'Fake Melania' online conspiracy theory were reignited because of a recent photograph where the first lady held her husband's hand, with many joking that it was a body double accompanying US President Donald Trump since the "real Melania" would never do the same.

The picture in question shows the president and the first lady exiting the White House and walking towards Marine One on the South Lawn on Wednesday. The pair were flown to Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, from where they deplaned the presidential helicopter and hopped aboard Air Force One, which took them to West Palm Beach, Florida, where they will be spending the holidays at their Mar-a-Lago mansion.

The FLOTUS was seen wearing a double-breasted black coat along with a pair of sunglasses masking much of her face, while she flaunted a huge smile. The happy picture, however, made social media users go berserk with many claiming that the lady in the picture isn't the "real" Melania.

A twitter user wrote, "It's really easy to figure out. #FakeMelania wears sunglasses and holds Trump's hand. Real Melania does not," while another commented," That's EXACTLY what I said! She's a) holding his hand b) smiling & waving c) talking to him. Proof that's not Melania. She also looks more like the #FakeMelania he totes around. Isn't the real Melania supposed to be at mar-a-loser-o?"

A third user tweeted: "Barron seems to be with his mother, because Trump is being escorted by #fakeMelania." Some users claimed that her smile was changed, while others pointed at a difference in her nose. Some quipped that it wasn't real Melania as she could never be this happy around her husband of 15 years.

The wild rumours that the POTUS uses decoys to stand in for his wife have been circulating for over three years now. The theory was first suggested by actor and comedian Andrea Wagner Barton in a Facebook post in October 2017, reports news.com.au.