The bizarre “Fake Melania” conspiracy first began during Melania Trump’s first term as first lady, and back in 2019, her husband swooped in and acknowledged claims that she’d been photoshopped by the mainstream media. However, as a communications expert exclusively told Nicki Swift, Donald Trump’s knee-jerk reaction actually did more harm than good. 

ICYMI, when the conspiracy first began in 2017, media outlets immediately debunked the theory. CNN published a piece that rubbished it altogether. Snopes also published a piece that fact-checked the claims. However, when the rumors resurfaced two years later, Donald got involved. “The Fake News photoshopped pictures of Melania, then propelled conspiracy theories that it’s actually not her by my side in Alabama and other places. They are only getting more deranged with time!” he wrote on X (then Twitter). Unsurprisingly, media outlets clapped back, with some pointing out that there was no proof to suggest any actual photoshopping had been involved, as well as reminders that Donald himself had spread strange conspiracy theories in the past.

Speaking to Nicki Swift, The Prenner Group communications executive Amy Prenner shared that Donald’s claims backfired in a massive way, going as far as deeming it “a textbook example of how NOT to handle a PR crisis.” For starters, Prenner explained that Donald should never have even addressed the issue. “It’s PR 101 — don’t amplify the noise,” she said. Prenner then pointed out that his attacks on the media were a huge mistake. “That’s a serious allegation to throw around without a shred of evidence … [It] makes the administration look paranoid and defensive,” she said. Well, if the shoe fits! As for what Prenner believed the administration should have done, she said either ignoring it or shutting it down with a decisive one-liner would have been far more effective. 

Regardless of Donald Trump’s poor approach (which Amy Prenner described as “a masterclass in how to turn a non-issue into a PR headache”), it’s pretty obvious that there was no fake Melania Trump, nor were any of her pictures doctored by the press. However, unfortunately for the first lady, that wouldn’t be the only time she found herself at the center of photoshopping drama. Of course, we’re talking about the Christmas cards. 

The first of the potentially photoshopped Christmas pics came in 2018. As a refresher, that year, the couple posed in the Cross Hall — though many questioned whether they actually had been there. At the time, Vogue’s visual director explained, “It’s how they’re lit versus the lighting in the space. It makes them look like cutouts.” Another contributor pointed out that Melania’s re-post of the image was significantly blurrier, and that could also be a smoking gun. “If I were editing and I were ever to do a bad job and it looked fake, I would blur the whole thing,” the photographer said. Yikes. Two years on, the Trumps’ 2020 Christmas portrait caused yet another stir. Many took to social media to point out that, once again, the couple looked like cutouts. Some even noted that the shadows behind the couple were bizarre, given how far away from the wall they were. 

It bears mentioning that when it came to the Christmas card backlash, neither Donald nor Melania Trump ever said anything. In fact, the Independent noted that the East Wing had been approached for a comment but that they hadn’t responded. Perhaps they wised up on the aforementioned PR 101 and opted against amplifying the noise. Then again, maybe Melania’s stance was, “Who gives a f*** about Christmas?”