Fact Check: Melania Trump's Nude Photos Aired on Russian State TV
By: Yahoo News
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Claim:
Russian state TV aired nude photos of Melania Trump shortly after the 2024 U.S. presidential election.
Rating:
Rating: True
Numeroussocial media users alleged that Russian state TV broadcast n*de photos of former first lady Melania Trump shortly after her husband, Donald Trump, was declared the winner of the 2024 presidential election.
For instance, one X user wrote: "In normal America, Russian TV airing n*de photos of Melania Trump would be a scandal. In Putin's America, we call it Tuesday." An X user replied to that post, asking, "Is this real?"
(X user @namwella1961)
Some posts suggested that the purported move by Russian state TV was an expression of control over Donald Trump.
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One X post claimed: "This is Russia's state-run media airing salacious pictures of the future First Lady, Melania Trump. This is Putin letting Trump know that he is in charge. Watch as Trump rolls over." Another user wrote: "The message from Putin is clear: never forget that we own you or we'll release the Kompromat we have on you."
(X user @krassenstein)
"Russia show n*de pics of Melania Trump on prime time TV. Some bits of the photo are blurred, strange you can't show an a** crack on Russian TV, but you can blatantly see 2 c****," another commented.
The claim also spread to other social media platforms, including YouTube, Reddit, Threads, TikTok and Facebook, as well as websites such as the Daily Star, Mint, The Maltese Herald and Hindustan Times.
An article published on Nov. 8, 2024, by Vox News Albania reads: "Russia's largest television 'denigrates' the First Lady and publishes 'embarrassing' photos of Melania just 1 day after Trump's victory."
In short, because, shortly after the 2024 U.S. presidential election, Russian state TV did indeed air revealing photos of Melania Trump taken during her modeling career, we have rated this claim as true.
Source of the Video
The video containing clips from Russian state TV was shared on Nov. 11, 2024, on the YouTube channel of Russian News Monitor, a project of Daily Beast columnist Julia Davis that tracks Russian state media propaganda trends.
Davis also shared the footage on her X account on Nov. 8, 2024, writing: "Meanwhile in Russia: this is how the most watched state TV channel in the country welcomed Melania Trump's upcoming return to the White House. Olga Skabeeva is trying not to laugh. This was probably her idea."
The segments featured in the video aired on Nov. 7, 2024, during "60 минут" ("60 Minutes"), a Russian political talk show on the Russia 1 channel, hosted by Skabeeva and Evgeny Popov.
The program was available on Smotrim.ru website, an official online platform of Russian state television.
The video shared on social media was compiled from separate excerpts featuring Melania Trump, taken from a program aired in Russia at 6:30 p.m. at time-stamps: 41:35-42:18, 42:33-42:48, 43:34-43:42 and 45:28-45:33. (These clips also appeared in the "60 Minutes" program aired at 11.30 a.m. at time-stamps: 1:05:30-1:05:45, 1:06:32-1:06:38 and 1:08:06-1:08:12).
Source of Pics
The photos of Melania Trump used in the broadcast were not new or leaked images but widely known and previously published photos from her modeling career.
Melania Trump addressed the photos in a September 2024 video, saying, "Why do I stand proudly behind my n*de modeling work? The more pressing question is, why has the media chosen to scrutinize my celebration of the human form in a fashion photo shoot? Are we no longer able to appreciate the beauty of the human body?"
"Throughout history master artists have revealed the human shape evoking profound emotions and admiration. We should honor our bodies and embrace the timeless tradition of using art as a powerful means of self-expression," she continued. The video ended with a cover of her memoir, released on Oct. 8, 2024.
The Russian TV segment also referenced a video in which Melania Trump asked, "What does my body, my choice mean?"
In April 2024, we looked at claims that Russian TV praised U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., as "a real beauty" and "demonstrably heterosexual." Years earlier, in February 2022, we fact-checked whether Russian state television had been airing and translating clips from then-Fox News host Tucker Carlson's show, where he defended Putin.
Sources:
"10 Photos of Melania Trump From Her Modeling Days." Cosmopolitan, 27 Apr. 2016, https://www.cosmopolitan.com/entertainment/news/a57623/melania-trump-modeling-photos/.
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"60 мину 7.11.2024 смотреть онлайн." Сайт, https://60-minut.org/1540-60-minut-7-11-2024.html. Accessed 12 Nov. 2024.
GQ. "Melania Trump - the First Lady in Our Nude Photo Shoot." British GQ, 8 Nov. 2016, https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/article/donald-trump-melania-trump-knauss-first-lady-erections.
Ibrahim, Nur. "Were Clips of Tucker Carlson Being Aired on Russian TV?" Snopes, 25 Feb. 2022, https://www.snopes.com//fact-check/tucker-carlson-russian-television/.
"Julia Davis." The Daily Beast, https://www.thedailybeast.com/author/julia-davis/. Accessed 12 Nov. 2024.
Kasprak, Alex. "Russian TV Described Marjorie Taylor Greene as a 'Demonstrably Heterosexual' Beauty?" Snopes, 23 Apr. 2024, https://www.snopes.com//fact-check/demonstrably-heterosexual/.
"Russian Media Monitor." YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoAw0n5OyITkmejSCMfmnWg. Accessed 12 Nov. 2024.
Дневной 7.11 - Полный Выпуск. ok.ru, https://ok.ru/video/8665113365103. Accessed 12 Nov. 2024.
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Is Trump Putin's bitch or does it just look that way ?
It is putin's bitch, no doubt about it.
He's been told by others in Russia that he has obligations to fulfill since they fulfilled theirs
I'm not allowed to say what he is and has always been since running for 'president' - putin's ____ _______
In what world would this have any relevance to anyone?
This one.
how about ours. a shot across the bow, so to speak
So Putin and Trump aren't best buddies? Democrats have been lying about that??? I'm shocked.
Did Trump complain about or object to Russian state tv using his wife for salacious purposes?
I have no clue and couldn't care less. Does Trump even know?
These decades old pictures have been shared millions of times by Democrats as part of their bullying campaign. Do you think showing them one more time matters to anyone?
LOL. I agree he is ignorant about most current news but I think he's probably heard about this one.
This is a dominance maneuver. Putin is showing how he is Ttrumps master. I truly believe he has blackmail worthy evidence over the little Orange one. Democrats observing Ttrump kiss Putin's ass, are not lying .
This is old dog of a topic still doesn't wash but keep scraping the bottom of the barrel and looking foolish.