With the World Cup final still scoreless after 90 minutes, some viewers shifted their focus away from the action and onto Melania Trump, with social media users claiming there was something “odd” about her appearance.
Melania attended the match alongside President Donald Trump as Spain edged Argentina 1-0 to win the World Cup. After the game, which went beyond regulation with an extra 30 minutes, Trump walked onto the pitch to present medals to both squads and was met with boos from sections of the crowd.
While the president took part in the post-match ceremony, Melania remained in the private viewing area. Broadcast cameras repeatedly cut to the couple during the game, and many online quickly fixated on the oversized sunglasses she was wearing.
That may simply have been because of the bright conditions at New York New Jersey Stadium, but users on X, formerly Twitter, offered a more conspiratorial take.
“The sunglasses…so.. it’s possible this is the Melania double,” said one, while another added: “That’s Fake Melania, she has huge sunglasses.”
The speculation spread further, with another person posting: “Is anyone really sure that’s not the FAKE Melania behind the 3D glasses?”
Not everyone was interested in the theory, though. Some were more focused on her style, including one viewer who wrote: “I need to know what sunglasses Melania wore today.”
Despite the speculation, multiple images from the final show Melania without the sunglasses at various points during the event.
The claims are far from new. The idea that a stand-in sometimes appears in Melania Trump’s place has circulated for years, dating back to the early period of Trump’s time in office.
The theory has also proved remarkably durable, resurfacing whenever Melania appears in sunglasses, at a distance, or in a short video clip that leaves room for internet sleuthing. Similar waves of speculation have followed other public appearances during Trump’s second term, showing how quickly the conspiracy can reappear even when there is no evidence behind it.
Often referred to as the “body double” theory, the conspiracy suggests someone has occasionally been used as a substitute for the First Lady.
One of the most widely cited moments came in 2017, when Trump and Melania visited a US Secret Service training facility in Maryland. During that appearance, Trump told reporters: “My wife Melania, who happens to be right here.”
That remark only fueled further online claims, with conspiracy theorists arguing he was supposedly “trying to convince the media” that it was really her.
As in the latest incident, Melania was also wearing sunglasses during that appearance. She later removed them, and the theory quickly lost steam, much like what happened again during the World Cup final.
Similar speculation has resurfaced several times whenever the First Lady is seen in eyewear, although no evidence has ever been produced to support the claim.