Why Donald Trump seems shorter in images as president sparks the ‘body double’ conspiracy theory

As people discuss Donald Trump’s most recent trip to the Netherlands, fresh conspiracy theories emerge.

Trump is no stranger to conspiracy theories, but one of the craziest is that he allegedly has a bodily duplicate.

In reality, it is not just the President who has faced similar allegations; his wife, Melania Trump, has also been accused of using a body double to help her fulfill her duties as First Lady.

However, those who believe in Trump’s conspiracy theories have been reenergized by his journey to The Hague for a NATO conference on the evening of June 24.

Other international leaders attended Trump, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz praised the event as ‘historic.’ Before the formal meal, the groups took photos together.

However, one photograph has circulated on social media in which Trump appears to be smaller than expected when standing next to these leaders.

These photographs have stoked ‘body double’ speculations among people on Twitter.

One person noted, “Clearly, this is not the actual Trump.” He lacks the necessary height. I liked how people noticed he was in numerous locations at the same time.

Another said, “That… that is not Trump.”

A third person continued, “When I saw a video from earlier today, I was wondering why he was so much shorter.”

Despite the persisting conspiracy hypothesis, the reasons Trump may seem shorter are considerably simpler and less fascinating.

During his annual checkup earlier this year, the 78-year-old measured 6 feet and 3 inches tall and weighed 224 pounds.

In one photo, the 6ft 3in Trump stands next to King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands, who is supposedly 6ft 2 inches, and President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who is apparently little over 6ft.

However, Trump seems to be significantly smaller than Willem-Alexander and just slightly taller than Erdogan, although he should be larger than both.

One possibility is that Trump is the same height he has always been, with the only difference being that he is standing next to other tall guys in general, making him look shorter than normal.

Meanwhile, some conspiracy theory skeptics pointed out that global leaders’ footwear may contribute to modest height increases or demotions, whether for Trump or others he photographed.

Some people also pointed out that their posture and the angle at which the images were taken might lead to minor height variations.

Similarly, if a person is in the background, they appear shorter, and if they are in the foreground, they appear much taller—it all depends on perspective.