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Melania Trump under fire after appearing to lift Michelle Obama speech
Two passages in Republican convention speech all but identical to First Lady’s 2008 convention address
CLEVELAND, Ohio — Melania Trump’s well-received speech Monday to the Republican National Convention contained two passages that match nearly word-for-word the speech that First Lady Michelle Obama delivered in 2008 at the Democratic National Convention.
The discovery quickly became the dominant conversation surrounding the Republican National Convention, overshadowing husband Donald Trump’s brief appearance and some unrest as delegates attempted to force a vote that could sideline the presumptive candidate.
Trump’s campaign spokesman responded to the furor by defending the speech and calling it “a success.”
“In writing her beautiful speech, Melania’s team of writers took notes on her life’s inspirations, and in some instances included fragments that reflected her own thinking,” he said in a statement.
Trump campaign issues statement on Melania Trump speech in wake of plagiarism accusations. https://t.co/yWjPz5OU4F pic.twitter.com/KqFff5hDDg
— ABC News (@ABC) July 19, 2016
In an interview with NBC News taped ahead of her convention appearance and posted online early Tuesday, Mrs. Trump said of her speech, “I wrote it.” She added that she had “a little help.”
White House officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment late Monday evening.
The passages in question focus on lessons that Mrs. Trump said she learned from her parents and the relevance of their lessons in her experience as a mother. They came near the beginning of her roughly 10-minute speech, which was otherwise distinct from the address that Mrs. Obama gave when her husband, then-senator Barack Obama, was being nominated for president.
In Mrs. Trump’s speech in Cleveland, she said: “From a young age, my parents impressed on me the values that you work hard for what you want in life, that your word is your bond and you do what you say and keep your promise, that you treat people with respect. They taught and showed me values and morals in their daily life.”
In Mrs. Obama’s 2008 speech in Denver, she said: “And Barack and I were raised with so many of the same values: like, you work hard for what you want in life, that your word is your bond, that you do what you say you’re going to do, that you treat people with dignity and respect, even if you don’t know them and even if you don’t agree with them.”
Another passage with notable similarities that follows two sentences later in Mrs. Trump’s speech addresses her attempts to instill those values in her son.
“We need to pass those lessons on to the many generations to follow,” Mrs. Trump said. “Because we want our children in this nation to know that the only limit to your achievements is the strength of your dreams and your willingness to work for them.”
In the First Lady’s 2008 speech, she said, “Barack and I set out to build lives guided by these values and to pass them onto the next generation, because we want our children — and all children in this nation — to know that the only limit to the height of your achievements is the reach of your dreams and your willingness to work hard for them.”
In 2012 Donald Trump praised Michelle Obama’s speech on Twitter.
Very good speech by @MichelleObama–and under great pressure–Dems should be proud!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 5, 2012
Mrs. Trump’s speech initially captivated a GOP crowd that had rarely heard from her through months of her husband’s tumultuous 2016 White House campaign.
On the whole, Mrs. Trump presented a softer and gentler candidate. She said: “He is tough when he has to be, but he is also kind and fair and caring. This kindness is not always noted, but it is there for all to see. That is one reason I fell in love with him to begin with.”
The Slovenian-born former model, 24 years her husband’s junior, also reintroduced herself, showing poise as well as devotion to her adopted country and to her husband’s cause. Mrs. Trump, appearing in a striking white dress with elbow-length sleeves ending in big, puffy cuffs, spoke after an uncharacteristically brief introduction from her husband, who kissed her and called her “my wife, an amazing mother, an incredible woman.”
Prior to Monday, Mrs. Trump had spoken on her husband’s behalf only a few times, and briefly, and her remarks Monday lasted roughly 10 minutes as she spoke slowly in heavily accented English. But afterward delegates were gushing.
“I think she’s going to be a great asset. She’s just magnificent,” said John Salm, a delegate from Virginia. “Honestly she reminds me of Jackie Kennedy.”
https://twitter.com/freddoso/status/755269489252532224
