A viral video this week got people talking about how President Donald Trump has a “body double,” but it turned out to have a more reasonable explanation.
In the video, Trump is shown speaking to the press, while the presidential helicopter can be seen behind him. Over his shoulder, a man can be glimpsed wearing a suit and looking remarkably like Trump. Jon Stewart noticed the oddity on Monday’s episode of The Daily Show.
Might there be a “backup Trump”? Is this a situation like the movie Dave, in which other people are sometimes hired as stand-ins for the president?
🚨 BREAKING: People are losing it after a Trump body double was accidentally just spotted behind the President.
They are calling him the “Backup Trump”
Does this look like a clone to you? pic.twitter.com/BdMPMWlkuI
— HustleBitch (@HustleBitch_) July 22, 2026
As it turns out, that’s not the case, as various commenters on that thread noted: The man walking in the background is likely Viktor Knavs, who is Melania Trump’s father and the president’s father-in-law. Viktor attended the World Cup Final on Sunday with the president and first lady, so it’s likely that was him.
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Viktor does resemble Trump from behind, and at age 82, is only about two years older than his son-in-law.
Rather than Dave, the body-double confusion actually recalls a plot from the TV series Veep, in which it’s repeatedly remarked upon that a Secret Service agent (Clea Duvall) looks exactly like President Selina Meyer (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) from behind. And just as Melania married a man who resembles her father, that agent on Veep later ends up in a relationship with Meyer’s daughter.
Social media users had some thoughts.
Poor bloke ganna take one for the team https://t.co/RBdmw7T1gr
— Parody Ross Kemp (@RossKemp6) July 22, 2026
Wait until you see 50 or more of them. https://t.co/pkwbx7iIpc
— FUNKNA 💜🌸🎾🚜🚜🚜 (@FUNKNA) July 22, 2026
It’s his father in law. Not his body double.
But I’m sure he has body doubles… https://t.co/nCanaqBJdR— Gonzalez Family (@gzzfam2) July 22, 2026
Even I have to admit he does look like the president. https://t.co/0gwkc0a8lD
— Amber Hernandez (@AmberHern2019) July 22, 2026
Term number one, Trump number two, Trump number three, robot Trump, AI Trump
We are being governed by AI already
AI government
AI governance
I strongly believe that an AI algorithm writes President Trump’s true social posts. https://t.co/zskfxTNDpi
— LibbyAnn C (@MarineLibby) July 22, 2026
Photo courtesy of an X screenshot.
