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TVWeek, USA Today

Melania Trump Accused of Plagiarism Over GOP Convention Speech That Matches Part of Michelle Obama’s Speech From 2008; Trump Campaign Denies It and Blames the Hillary Clinton Camp — Here Are the Two Excerpts

Jul 19, 2016  •  Post A Comment

The Donald Trump campaign is blaming Hillary Clinton supporters for a controversy that erupted over a speech delivered Monday night at the GOP National Convention by Trump’s wife, Melania.

USA Today reports that the speech attracted attention after someone noticed that a portion of it matched Michelle Obama’s  speech to the 2008 Democratic National Convention almost word-for-word.

Here’s the section of the Obama speech from 2008:

“And Barack and I were raised with so many of the same values, like 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.”

That passage is being compared to the following section from the Melania Trump speech:

“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 in their daily lives. That is a lesson that we continue to pass on 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 achievement is the strength of your dream and your willingness to work for them.”

The Trump campaign has denied that the speech intentionally plagiarized Michelle Obama’s speech, and has accused the media and Clinton supporters of stirring up the controversy.

USA Today quotes Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort saying: “There is a political tint to this whole issue.” Manafort would not comment in detail about how the speech came together or whether any action would be taken against whoever was responsible, the report notes.

4 Comments

  1. Plagiarism at its finest…and the clown Trump blames Clinton??? How far down the rabbit hole has this idiot descended??? His trophy wife (who wouldn’t be near him if he didn’t have mega-dough) couldn’t write her way out of a paper bag. Whoever the mastermind was who “crafted” her speech has done a great deal for Hilary. It’s hilarious.

    • The wife the can’t write does speak 4 languages! What a dope!!!

  2. The verbiage is almost cliche – my parents said the same words to me! – I was the “expert witness” in a copyright suit a few years ago where a manufacturer claimed a competitor copied the look, feel and substance of their catalog. I showed the court that virtually all companies that sell the same products have similarity in graphics and language – in some cases identical descriptions of the same item. I showed the court a dozen other examples from companies not involved in the suit. The defendant won. Such is the case here. All those trying to make an issue of it are simply showing their partizan position. Notice how little attention the mainstream media has given to Mayor Giuliani or the others who spoke. They fear allowing their viewers to make up their own minds.

    • Whether or not you think this is a big deal, you cannot seriously say that it is not plagiarism. It would be one thing if it were just a paraphrasing of similar “cliche verbiage” (to use your words), but most of this is a word-for-word copy. There is just no argument here. You say that anyone making an issue of this is showing how PARTISAN they are (there is no “z” in partisan, but the way). But to defend this as not being plagiarism is just outrageous and is the true definition of blind partisanship.

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