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Fact Check: Yes, Russian State TV Aired Nude Photos of Melania Trump

Aleksandra Wrona

12 November 2024 at 3:44 pm·5-min read

ok.ru

Claim:

Russian state TV aired nude photos of Melania Trump shortly after the 2024 U.S. presidential election.

Rating:

Rating: True

In early November 2024, many social media users claimed Russian state TV aired n*de photos of Melania Trump, shortly after U.S. President-elect Donald Trump was announced as the winner of the Nov. 5 presidential election.

(@krassenstein / X)

Some posts suggested that this was intended as a show of control over Donald Trump. "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," one X post claimed. "The message from Putin is clear: never forget that we own you or we'll release the Kompromat we have on you," another X user wrote.

(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 on other social media platforms, including YouTube, Reddit, Threads, TikTok and Facebook, as well as websites such as Daily Star, Mint, The Maltese Herald and Hindustan Times.

An article published on Nov. 8, 2024, by Vox News Albania read: "Russia's largest television 'denigrates' the First Lady and publishes 'embarrassing' photos of Melania just 1 day after Trump's victory."

In short, because Russian state TV did indeed air revealing photos of Melania Trump taken during her modeling career shortly after the 2024 U.S. presidential election, 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 it 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 timestamps: 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 September 2024, 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?"

https://t.co/ZCTwZSqZND pic.twitter.com/FH9SRFQeUR
— MELANIA TRUMP (@MELANIATRUMP) September 18, 2024

"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?"

https://t.co/ZCTwZSqZND pic.twitter.com/Y9MT3uj97b
— MELANIA TRUMP (@MELANIATRUMP) October 3, 2024

For further reading, 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." Moreover, 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/.

"60 минуţ 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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