Cleveland : In an embarrassment to Donald Trump, his wife Melania was on Tuesday accused of plagiarism in her first address to the Republican National Convention that is set to declare him as the party’s presidential candidate, with critics saying parts of her speech were lifted verbatim from remarks First Lady Michelle Obama made in 2008.
Ironically, Melania — until now only a minor presence on the campaign trail — had taken the centre stage to defend her husband, praising him as a “compassionate” man who would “fight for the country”.
No sooner had the poised, 46-year-old former model delivered her speech that the unmistakable similarities to a passage from Obama’s speech came to light. In both passages, the women introduce themselves to the American public by speaking of the values that have shaped their lives.
“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 me to show the values and morals in my daily life. That is the lesson that I continue to pass along to our son,” Melania Trump said. “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.”
In her speech, Michelle Obama had said “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’s senior communications adviser, Jason Miller, issued a statement that sidestepped the plagiarism question while not denying it.
“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. “Melania’s immigrant experience and love for America shone through in her speech, which made it such a success.” Trump, who introduced his wife at the Cleveland Convention, also said that her speech was absolutely “incredible”. Trump Campaign manager Paul Manafort told CNN: “There was no cribbing from Michelle Obama’s speech. These were com.
