On Monday’s show, “The View” entertained an outlandish conspiracy theory positing that a body double often poses as Melania Trump. The segment vacillated between dismissive and serious, granting way more legitimacy to the ridiculous theories than they deserve.
Ana Navarro and Joy Behar defended the conversation about #FakeMelania as comic relief, though Behar also cast doubt on the identity of the First Lady in one particular image.
“That one does not look like her, sorry,” Behar said, pointing at the screen behind her.
“I wasn’t going to go along with this, but that one doesn’t look like her.”
Abby Huntsman insisted she was “not convinced” by the theory. “If it’s not her, why not just stay home?” she asked. Navarro called the theory “crazy” and “absurd” but added, “it’s also funny, and we need to laugh.”
FAKE MELANIA CONSPIRACIES RETURN: The internet is buzzing again with theories that first lady Melania Trump is using an imposter to stand in for her — the co-hosts investigate. https://t.co/f8u2wc159S pic.twitter.com/XNYBT9U6S8
— The View (@TheView) March 11, 2019
Sunny Hostin exhibited a more serious intrigue in #FakeMelania, raising seemingly earnest questions about alleged height discrepancies in different pictures and the potential use of Secret Service body doubles.
To be clear, there’s nothing wrong about having some fun with hilariously stupid conspiracy theories. But instead of mocking or debunking this one, the entire segment weirdly elevated the issue by treating it as a worthy question. Probably not the best use of a major national media platform, but if the truth is out there, I hope they find it.
