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Fake Melania Theory
- #FakeMelania started trending on Twitter following the release of photos of First Lady Melania Trump with the President on October 22, getting ready to board Marine One. Twitter users claim the Melania in question was a body double, claiming that the "doppelgänger" looks younger and has less Botox.
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Fake Melania Theory
- The theory gained more fuel after Melania spoke at a Trump rally on October 30 in Tampa, Florida. Even actor Zach Braff tweeted, “Guys. I’m not a conspiracy person at all!!!! But this doesn’t look like her! Am I crazy?”
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Fake Melania Theory
- The video circulating shows an uncharacteristically happy Melania sharing several kisses with her husband, the same husband whose hand she often avoids holding.
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Debunked
- USA Today and BuzzFeed went so far as to debunk the theory based on actual research, the former adding, "After all, no one looks the same in every photo that is taken of them.” Intrigued? Click on for the top conspiracy theories by state.
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Alabama: Clinton body count - Claim: During his administration, Bill Clinton organized the murder of dozens of people who had incriminating evidence against him. (Source)
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Alaska: Obama birth certificate
- Claim: Obama's birth certificate from Hawaii is a forgery and his true birthplace is Kenya.
(Source)
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Arizona: Project MKUltra - Claim: Project MKUltra was a mind-control program from 1953 to 1964 in which the CIA tested the effects of biological and chemical agents on unknowing American citizens. (Source)
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Arkansas: Philadelphia Experiment - Claim: The Philadelphia Experiment was a military experiment conducted in 1943. The US Navy destroyer, USS Eldridge, was made completely invisible to the enemy. (Source)
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California: Princess Diana murdered - Claim: Rather than dying in a car crash on August 31, 1997, many have suggested she was murdered. (Source)
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Colorado: New World Order (NWO) - Claim: A secret group of elite individuals (The Illuminati) composed of politicians, religious leaders, and celebrities is conspiring to rule the world with an authoritarian-style government. (Source)
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Connecticut: Sandy Hook conspiracy - Claim: The Sandy Hook school shooting in Connecticut on December 14, 2012, was a staged hoax that the media spread misinformation about. (Source)
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Delaware: Delaware doesn't exist - Claim: Delaware is not a real state and the federal government perpetuates this lie to keep the number of stars on the American flag even. (Source)
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Florida: Atlantis - Claim: Thousands of years ago a utopian kingdom on an island mysteriously sunk into the ocean in a day. (Source)
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Georgia: FEMA coffins - Claim: The Obama administration devoted nearly $1 billion to coffins for "FEMA internment camps." (Source)
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Hawaii: The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami - Claim: This massive tsunami in the Indian Ocean was the result of nuclear experiments conducted by India, Israel, and the United States. (Source)
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Idaho: Bigfoot - Claim: Following along with American folklore, there is a creature who is half-man and half-ape that lives in the wilderness. (Source)
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Illinois: Sharia law takeover - Claim: The religious-based criminal justice system present in several Muslim majority countries is being brought to the United States and will override our democracy. So far, 14 states went as far as to enact anti-Sharia law bills in 2018. (Source)
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Indiana: Paul McCartney is dead - Claim: Paul McCartney died in 1966 and the Beatles found a body double to replace him in the band. It is said that hints toward his death can be heard when the band's songs are played backward. (Source)
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Iowa: JFK conspiracy - Claim: Lee Harvey Oswald did not act alone when assassinating John F. Kennedy, but was rather part of a greater conspiracy. Up to "42 groups, 82 assassins and 214 people" have been accused of being involved in the assassination. (Source)
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Kansas: Scalia assassination - Claim: Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia was murdered by Hillary Clinton's operatives rather than dying of natural causes. (Source)
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Kentucky: Face on Mars
- Claim: In 1976, the NASA 1 spacecraft took pictures of what looked like an enormous human face on Mars. Theorists claim that this is really an ancient alien artifact built by a highly-intelligent martian race. (Source)
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Louisiana: Area 51 - Claim: Aliens and spacecraft are hidden in this experimental aircraft testing base in Nevada. (Source)
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Maine: Knights Templar
- Claim: The Order of Solomon's Temple or Templars were part of a Catholic military order which was active from 1129 to 1312. Some have claimed that these warriors walk among us to this day.
(Source)
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Maryland: The Protocols of the Elders of Zion
- Claim: This text, originally published in Russia in 1903, is an antisemitic forgery detailing a plan for Jewish people to take over the world. It was translated into various languages and used as propaganda during the Holocaust. (Source)
(Photo: CC BY 2.0)
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Massachusetts: Big pharma conspiracy
- Claim: Big pharmaceutical companies are withholding cures for deadly diseases and preventing the public from pursuing alternative treatments. (Source)
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Michigan: Cell phones cause cancer - Claim: Cellular devices emit waves that cause brain cancer and the government is hiding these damaging effects from the public. (Source)
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Minnesota: Flat Earth theory - Claim: Just as one might guess, this is the age-old theory that the earth is actually flat. (Source)
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Mississippi: UN conspiracy - Claim: Otherwise referred to as Agenda 21, this voluntary environmental action plan adopted by the United Nations will create "one world order" and “abolish golf courses, grazing pastures and paved roads." (Source)
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Missouri: HAARP weather control - Claim: The US government secretly controls the weather and purposely creates hurricanes to kill numerous people. (Source)
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Montana: Nbiru/Planet X - Claim: Another planet is intersecting Earth's orbit and NASA has purposefully kept the public uninformed about this future catastrophic event. (Source)
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Nebraska: Priory of Sion
- Claim: The secret European society in Dan Brown's famous novel 'The Da Vinci Code' is real, and is guarding the secret that Jesus Christ married Mary Magdalene and their descendants are currently living in France. (Source)
(Photo: CC BY 2.0)
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Nevada: Chemtrails - Claim: The cloud trails following jets are really toxic chemicals that the government is releasing into the air for reasons made unknown to the general public. (Source)
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New Hampshire: False flag operations - Claim: Mass shooting victims are really just hired actors who perform in scenes staged by the government in order to justify new legislation that has to do with increased surveillance or harsher gun laws. (Source)
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New Jersey: Pan Am Flight 103 conspiracy - Claim: The bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 on December 21, 1988, was done as either revenge for Iran Air Flight 655, as a way to cover up a CIA drug smuggling ring, or it was Abu Nidal acting on behalf of Colonel Gaddafi. (Source)
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New Mexico: Reptilians - Claim: A poll shows that nearly 12 million Americans believe the US government is run by lizard people who are disguised as human politicians. (Source)
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New York: 9/11 was an inside job - Claim: Two popular theories are that the collapse of the World Trade Center was the result of a controlled demolition, or the towers were hit by a missile launched by the US government to later legitimize military action. (Source)
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North Carolina: Anti-vaccination - Claim: Vaccines cause childhood autism and other health complications later in life. (Source)
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North Dakota: Eugenics - Claim: Planned Parenthood clinics are concentrated in African-American neighborhoods as a way to "control" or shrink the population. (Source)
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Ohio: Is Elvis alive? - Claim: Rather than dying in his home on August 16, 1977, "The King" received death threats and was forced to go into hiding—where he still remains to this day. (Source)
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Oklahoma: Operation Northwoods - Claim: An alleged false flag operation called for the CIA and other government officials to commit acts of terrorism against American citizens and military targets, then blame it on the Cuban government. (Source)
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Oregon: Fluoride conspiracy - Claim: Flouride in our water supply is slowly poisoning the population and making us more submissive to oppressive governmental control. (Source)
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Pennsylvania: Pearl Harbor conspiracy - Claim: The US government knew beforehand that Japan would attack Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. The US even encouraged the attack to justify entering the fight in WWII. (Source)
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Rhode Island: Skull & Bones conspiracy
- Claim: This secret society at Yale University has been blamed for countless historical events, including the creation of the nuclear bomb and the Kennedy assassination. (Source)
(Photo: CC BY 2.0)
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South Carolina: Tupac is alive - Claim: A picture released by the news site Reporterz shows a photo of the rapper killed in 1996 partying with Rihanna in Cuba in 2016. Theories say that he is living in hiding. (Source)
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South Dakota: Global warming hoax - Claim: The information that suggests that global warming is largely caused by humans is falsified, and it is actually an idea created to promote liberal agendas. (Source)
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Tennessee: Majestic 12 (MJ-12) - Claim: MJ-12 is a secret community of military leaders, scientists, and government leaders created by Harry S. Truman in 1947 to recover and investigate an alien spacecraft. (Source)
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Texas: Moon landing faked - Claim: The moon landing was staged on a Hollywood scene or filmed within Area 51, and the three astronauts who died while testing equipment for the landing were really executed by the US government. (Source)
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Utah: North American Union - Claim: There is an economic and political union similar to the EU between the US, Canada, and Mexico using a common currency of an Amero, or North American dollar. (Source)
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Vermont: Peak oil theory - Claim: The moment when global oil production peaks and eventually reaches an eternal decline is looming on the horizon. (Source)
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Virginia: Federal Reserve conspiracy - Claim: There are various theories about this organization, including that the Federal Reserve is run by foreign countries, it is not audited, and they killed President John F. Kennedy. (Source)
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Washington: Knights of Malta - Claim: There is a Roman Catholic military order based on chivalry and nobility. It was founded in 1099 and is still active today. (Source)
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West Virginia: Bermuda Triangle - Claim: Also known as the "Devil's Triangle," is a triangle-shaped region in the North Atlantic Ocean where various airplanes and ships have disappeared under mysterious circumstances. (Source)
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Wisconsin: Holocaust Denial - Claim: The genocide of millions of Jews during World War II did not in fact occur. This theory is often associated with racist propaganda and banned in several countries. (Source)
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Wyoming: Watergate Scandal
- Claim: The CIA planted evidence against Richard Nixon, and he was not actually involved in the break-in. (Source) See also: How '2001: A Space Odyssey' predicted the future more than 50 years ago
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"Fake Melania" and other conspiracy theories Americans are obsessed with
Is a body double filling in for the First Lady?
© Getty Images
American conspiracy culture has always existed. From prominent public figures to the next door neighbor, it seems as though everyone believes at least one theory about the inner workings of Washington, big business, and society as a whole.
From lizard people running the government to Paul McCartney being dead, and now to #FakeMelania, here are the most popular conspiracy theories in America. Check out the following gallery, based on a list from Snapagency.
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