Melania Trump's rare appearance sparks wild conspiracy theories

Palm Beach, Florida - Former first lady Melania Trump recently made a rare public appearance alongside her husband, Donald Trump, as she has been notably avoiding the public eye for some time.

Melania Trump (r.) recently made a rare public appearance with husband Donald at Mar-a-Lago.
Melania Trump (r.) recently made a rare public appearance with husband Donald at Mar-a-Lago.  © Collage: Screenshot/Instagram/orbanviktor

On Friday, the Trumps hosted a dinner reception for Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban at their Mar-a-Lago estate.

A video taken of the moment the couple arrived shows Melania donning a white power suit while keeping a notable distance from her husband.

Donald is seen basking in his popularity, greeting members of the crowd, but seemingly pays no attention to his wife.

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Orban, on the other hand, seemed ecstatic to see the former first lady. Another clip shows him presenting Melania with a bouquet of flowers as the song Pretty Woman played on the loudspeakers. She then proceeds to pose for a photo by herself.

Melania's rare appearance comes amid her noticeable absence from her husband's side as he campaigns for re-election and fights countless legal battles that could threaten his political efforts.

The former president recently made a bold promise that his wife would soon play a "big role" in his campaign, but that remains to be seen.

Her absence has sparked speculation about the state of their marriage and has even ignited a few bizarre conspiracy theories to boot.

Is there more to Melania Trump's absence than meets the eye?

Then-President Donald Trump (l.) and first lady Melania Trump walk to the White House in Washington DC on September 11, 2020.
Then-President Donald Trump (l.) and first lady Melania Trump walk to the White House in Washington DC on September 11, 2020.  © Drew Angerer / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP

The world has been wondering, "Where is Melania?" for some time now, and the internet has run rampant with some theories.

One of the wildest theories posits that Donald has a Melania clone or body double.

Theorists point to the dimmed lighting at Mar-a-Lago that night, arguing that it was intentionally set to help the clone pass off as Donald's wife. However, other footage from the night shared by Orban provided a clearer image of her, dispelling the speculation.

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Many other critics believe that the Trumps simply aren't doing well and may be heading for divorce.

Some even believe that Melania resents him, pointing to lawsuits from writer E. Jean Carroll, who alleged he raped her in the 1990s, and his hush money trial, where he is accused of paying a porn star to keep quiet about an affair that allegedly occurred while Melania was pregnant with their son, Barron.

While all of these are just theories, it is undeniable that there is trouble in paradise with the Trumps.

Is Donald and Melania Trump's marriage on the rocks?

Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, a former aide to Melania during her husband's presidency, shared a video on social media that showed clips of Trump in the past making an effort to be chivalrous to his wife, along with more recent clips where he clearly does the opposite.

"Perception is everything to the Trump family, so Donald's lack of 'chivalry' towards Melania is quite a 'tell'," she explained in the post.

"Chivalry for Donald was waiting for Melania to go first and ensuring she walked by his side," she added. "He's been doing neither recently."

Cover photo: Collage: Screenshot/Instagram/orbanviktor

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