The speech of Melania Trump caused a headache for Donald Trump’s campaign because some parts of it were strikingly similar to the speech of then-aspiring First Lady Michelle Obama during the 2008 Democratic National Convention (DNC).
In her speech during the first night of the Republican National Convention (RNC) on Tuesday, Mrs. Trump talked about the importance of working hard, treating people with respect, keeping your promise (your word is your bond) ,and passing on those values and lessons to the next generations.
Jarrett Hill, a journalist and interior designer based in Los Angeles first noted that Mrs. Trump borrowed or plagiarized the words from Mrs. Obama’s speech in 2008.
He tweeted, “Melania must’ve liked Michelle Obama’s 2008 Convention speech, since she plagiarized it.”
During an interview with MSNBC’s Matt Lauer before the RNC, Mrs. Trump said she wrote her speech with “as little help as possible.”
Melania Trump’s speech at the RNC
“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.”
“That is a lesson that I continue to pass along to our son, and we need to pass those lessons on to the many generations to follow. 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.”
Michelle Obama at the DNC in 2008
“And Barack and I were raised with so many of the same values: that you work hard for what you want in life; that your word is your bond and 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.”
“And Barack and I set out to build lives guided by these values, and pass them on to 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 for them.”
Trump supporters defend Melania’s speech
Some of the supporters of Mr. Trump including New Jersey Governor Chris Christie defended Melania’s speech. He pointed out that 93% of her speech is completely different from Mrs. Obama’s speech and the rest had “some common thoughts.”
On the other hand, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee’s Senior Communications Advisor, said, “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. Melania’s immigrant experience and love for America shone through in her speech, which made it such a success.”
Mr. Trump’s campaign chairman Paul Manafort denied that Melania plagiarized Mrs. Obama’s 2008 speech. In an interview with CNN’s Chris Cuomo, Manafort said, “To think that she would do something like that knowing how scrutinized her speech was going to be last night is just really absurd.”
He added, “There’s no cribbing of Michelle Obama’s speech. These were common words and values. She cares about her family. To think that she’d be cribbing Michelle Obama’s words is crazy.”
