If you watched last night’s Republican National Convention broadcast, it was full of spectacle, false hope and allegedly plagiarism. Particularly interesting was the speech given by Donald Trump’s wife, Melania Trump, because she appears to have lifted multiple sentences from a 2008 speech given by first lady Michelle Obama at the 2008 Democratic National Convention. According to Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary, plagiarism is defined as “the act of using another person’s words or ideas without giving credit to that person: the act of plagiarizing something.” Looking at the words of Melania Trump, it is clear there is an issue with her prepared speech.
Last night Melania Trump stated:
“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 lives. 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.”
In 2008 Michelle Obama 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 to 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.”
The Trump organization called the accusation of plagiarism ridiculous and issued the following statement:
“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.”
-Jason Miller, Senior Communications Advisor
Before her speech, Melania Trump gave an interview on CNN and stated she wrote her speech with as little help as possible. Now it seems what help she got would amount to plagiarism in the majority of academic institutions in the United States.
