Cleveland
Update: It appears Melania Trump’s speechwriters copied more than a paragraph of her speech from Michelle Obama’s 2008 address to the Democratic National Convention.
As Twitter user Jarrett Hill noted, Trump’s speech closely tracked several sentences that Obama used in her speech. Here’s the tweet, with the text highlighted:
Here’s Obama’s speech, queued to the section in question:
And here’s the section of Trump’s speech where she borrows heavily from the highlighted text:
NPR carried the original text of Obama’s speech. The relevant section is here, and areas of common phrasing have been bolded:
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.
Below is the section of Trump’s speech, as transcribed by Quartz:
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 their only limit to your achievements is the strength of your dreams and your willingness to work for them.
The original text of this post follows below:
Although she was slated to be the highlight of night one of the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Melania Trump’s proper, poised speech offered no particular insights into her husband as a candidate, or a person. In fact, she was perhaps outshined by her predecessor, former mayor of New York Rudy Giuliani, who energetically praised the billionaire.
“On July 28, 2006, I was very proud to become citizen of the United States. The greatest privilege on planet Earth,” she said.
In the Quicken Loans Arena, Trump was interrupted by loud applause and polite laughs (with the occasional “I love you!”), and received a standing ovation–but it didn’t come close to the enthusiastic reception of Giuliani. She was introduced by her husband, who broke with tradition to introduce the potential first lady on the first day of the convention, instead of making a grand entrance at the end of the week.
“We’re gonna win, we’re gonna win so big,” he repeated twice to the tune of Queen’s “We are the Champions,” a staple song of his campaign. “It is my great honor to present the next first lady of the United States, my wife, an amazing, mother, an incredible woman, Melania Trump.”
Melania Trump spoke of her upbringing in Slovenia, of her mother who introduced her to “fashion and beauty” and father, who introduced her to business–both of whom impressed upon her the value of hard work.
“We want our children in this nation to know that the only limit of your achievements is the strength of your dreams and willingness to work for them,” she said, after mentioning her time in Milan and Paris, where she worked as a top model.
“It would not be a Trump contest without excitement and drama,” she said, eliciting the biggest laugh of the speech from the audience.
She spoke of her goal as prospective first lady of taking up help for “people in our country who need it the most”–women and children.
In a stark contrast to her husband’s language of “winning” and “destroying,” she said that “kindness love and compassion” would be the values that she and her husband would bring to the White House.