Plagiarism charges mar Melania Trump's moment
By ERICA WERNER and JILL COLVIN

CLEVELAND (AP) — This was to have been Melania Trump's moment, her first real introduction to American voters who'd seen her by her husband's side for months but had barely heard her speak.

But within moments of Mrs. Trump's triumphant appearance on the Republican National Convention stage, accusations of plagiarism surfaced, eclipsing her achievement in the latest stumble by the Trump campaign.

Trump's advisers defiantly denied the charge Tuesday, though the word-for-word overlap was obvious between Mrs. Trump's remarks the night before and two passages in Michelle Obama's 2008 speech to the Democratic convention in Denver. How that had come about remained unclear.

Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort called the criticism "just absurd" and said the issue had been "totally blown out of proportion."

"There were a few words on it, but they're not words that were unique words," he told The Associated Press. "Ninety-nine percent of that speech talked about her being an immigrant and love of country and love of family and everything else."

Manafort also tried to blame Hillary Clinton, saying on CNN, "This is, once again, an example of when a woman threatens Hillary Clinton, how she seeks out to demean her and take her down."

The passages in question came near the beginning of Mrs. Trump's nearly 15-minute speech.

In one example, Mrs. Trump said: "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."

Eight years ago, Mrs. Obama said: "And Barack and I were raised with so many of the same values: like, you work hard for what you want in life, that your word is your bond, that you do what you say you're going to do, that you treat people with dignity and respect."

There were similar overlaps in a passage dealing with conveying to children that there is no limit to what they can achieve. Mrs. Trump's address was otherwise distinct from the speech that Mrs. Obama gave when her husband was being nominated for president.

The White House declined to wade into the controversy Tuesday.

Nobody from the campaign is expected to be fired over the incident, according to a person familiar with campaign deliberations who demanded anonymity to discuss internal matters.

Trump's son, Donald Jr., faulted outside speechwriters: "Those are the people that did this, not Paul (Manafort)," he said in an interview with CBS News and other reporters.

Yet for Mrs. Trump, 46, a Slovenian-born former model who is Donald Trump's third wife and 24 years his junior, the controversy marred a moment in the spotlight that had been months in the making. It required her to overcome her wariness about public speaking and the traditional role of the politician's wife, as well as her heavily accented English, to present herself to the public as her husband's partner, a poised mother and wife passionate about issues impacting women and children.

Trump's oldest daughter, Ivanka, has taken up much of the role of the typical political spouse. She was the one who introduced her father at his official campaign announcement and appears often by his side. Melania has sat for a handful of interviews, in which she's described herself as a private person, focused on raising the couple's 10-year-old son, Barron.

But on Monday she delivered her speech with deliberation and poise, and it was rapturously received by convention delegates. Listeners compared her to Jackie Kennedy and said she'd won hearts from the GOP crowd.

Many delegates were eager to defend her, convinced that whatever had happened, Mrs. Trump herself was not to blame. And they were sympathetic that her moment in the sun had turned into the latest black eye for her husband's rocky campaign.

Nebraska delegate J.L. Spray, a member of the Republican National Committee, said the part of the speech that matched Mrs. Obama's "was such non-substantive stuff. The media and the Democrats needed something to focus on, so they came up with this. If you say 'God bless America' at the end of your speech, are you plagiarizing Ronald Reagan?"

___

Associated Press writers Stephen Ohlemacher in Cleveland and Grant Schulte in Lincoln, Nebraska, contributed to this report.


-- (c) Associated Press 2016-07-20

Why didn't she just quote something from the Bible all she had to do was ask her husband after all he is such an expert on the Bible. "nobody reads bible more than me" Trump.

She was rickrolled:

http://chicagoboyz.net/archives/53488.html

The Mole will be outed. The Donald don't take prisioners...

Edited July 20, 20169 yr by Boon Mee

Why didn't she just quote something from the Bible all she had to do was ask her husband after all he is such an expert on the Bible. "nobody reads bible more than me" Trump.

I believe he's having the Donald J Trump authorised version printed which includes such aphorisms as ' let ME be the first to cast a stone '.

His wife didn't plagiarise anything, she just read what was put in front of her and it's the so called script writers at fault, well probably not if they work for Donald.

Edited July 20, 20169 yr by NongKhaiKid

I've known quite a few eastern European slavic "fashion models." Plagiarism is probably the least offensive thing she did to get where she is today.

I've known quite a few eastern European slavic "fashion models." Plagiarism is probably the least offensive thing she did to get where she is today.

Where you meet them? Pattaya?

Tempest in a tea cup.

We're not exposed to the ghost written "Dreams of My Father" by B. Hussien Obama scandal now are we?

Oh, you mean the one where some right wingers said it was actually written by Bill Ayers and offered some alleged stylistic similarities between Obama's and Ayer's style of writing. A linguist who specializes in this sort of thing has the definitive rebuttal of that absurd allegation:

http://www.philocomp.net/humanities/dreams.htm

I've known quite a few eastern European slavic "fashion models." Plagiarism is probably the least offensive thing she did to get where she is today.

It will soon come to light she fast tracked her citizenship and lied in the application.

Deport her!

She probably is a Muslim too.

Good to know that Mrs Trump share the values of the First Lady. There's still hope, I guess....

"With all the media attention, you'd think Melania violated national security, had a federal probe and was criticized by the head of the FBI."

Mike Pence.

Who is Mike Pence? If you are going to quote people, you should give us some indication about who they are and source their quote. Eh.

He is the Indiana Governor and I think Trumps running mate ....

The wife looked like a Barbie doll whose string had just been pulled so she spoke. Did she actually understand all she was saying, just rehearsed. Not her fault.

First Lady of the US, or at least until Pres. Trump replaces her.

"With all the media attention, you'd think Melania violated national security, had a federal probe and was criticized by the head of the FBI."

Mike Pence.

Who is Mike Pence? If you are going to quote people, you should give us some indication about who they are and source their quote. Eh.

The next Vice President of the United States of America...

Good to know that Mrs Trump share the values of the First Lady. There's still hope, I guess....

Apparently those values didn't apply when she accepted her husband's proposal.

"....that your word is your bond and you do what you say and keep your promise, that you treat people with respect." That's Trump?

Michelle Obama Copied Alinsky in Speech Melania Trump Allegedly Plagiarized

Michelle Obama: “…the world as it should be.” In 2008, the aspiring First Lady was accused by bloggers of lifting lines for her DNC speech from Saul Alinsky. Alinsky wrote, in Rules for Radicals (emphasis added): “The standards of judgment must be rooted in the whys and wherefores of life as it is lived, the world as it is, not our wished-for fantasy of the world as it should be.” Michelle Obama said:

http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/convention2008/michelleobama2008dnc.htm

Michelle Obama Copied Alinsky in Speech Melania Trump Allegedly Plagiarized

Michelle Obama: “…the world as it should be.” In 2008, the aspiring First Lady was accused by bloggers of lifting lines for her DNC speech from Saul Alinsky. Alinsky wrote, in Rules for Radicals (emphasis added): “The standards of judgment must be rooted in the whys and wherefores of life as it is lived, the world as it is, not our wished-for fantasy of the world as it should be.” Michelle Obama said:

http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/convention2008/michelleobama2008dnc.htm

Don't Piss on My Leg and Tell Me it's Raining.

Read the Book https://www.amazon.com/Dont-Pee-Leg-Tell-Raining/dp/0060927941

Jarrett Hill just said this on CNN. He is the guy who recognized Crooked Melania's plagiarism

The Trumpeteers have been pissing on all our legs for months. Now the gig is up, eh.

At the end of the day if you were an undergrad and used that much plagiarism you would be expelled.

I've heard her next speech is tentatively titled 'I Have A Dream'

Edited July 20, 20169 yr by NumbNut

I've heard her next speech is tentatively called 'I Have A Dream'

I saw a copy of Trumps son next speech. Starts like this- "Fourscore and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation...

Trump has had his share of first class tail.

Edited July 20, 20169 yr by Buzzz

^Total class.

Late night comedians are having an absolute ball with this. Best one by Seth Meyers:

The best, the very best, the most fantastic and terrific and gold-plated and possibly even huge Melania line of the night came later, and it was worth waiting for. Said Meyers on NBC’s “Late Night”: “Melania did it: She found something less original than being a model married to an old billionaire.”

http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/tv/ct-late-night-comedy-rnc-20160719-column.html

He is the Indiana Governor and I think Trumps running mate ....

That's just the point, who is he?!

"With all the media attention, you'd think Melania violated national security, had a federal probe and was criticized by the head of the FBI."

Mike Pence.

Who is Mike Pence? If you are going to quote people, you should give us some indication about who they are and source their quote. Eh.

The next Vice President of the United States of America...

Really. I watched the announcement and I can't recall Trump actually saying his name. Maybe I missed it in the middle of all the other brain farts and his discussion about mosquitoes and his tiny hands. Mike Pence you say. Would this be the Indiana Pences by any chance? You know the weirdo who passed a law to allow religious bigotry and the chickened out when most of the rest of the US threatened to boycott his benighted State? http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/mike-pence-anti-gay-law/

What a catch he must be. I guess Christie was too much of a heavy weight for the vacuous Trump.

Late night comedians are having an absolute ball with this. Best one by Seth Meyers:

The best, the very best, the most fantastic and terrific and gold-plated and possibly even huge Melania line of the night came later, and it was worth waiting for. Said Meyers on NBC’s “Late Night”: “Melania did it: She found something less original than being a model married to an old billionaire.”

http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/tv/ct-late-night-comedy-rnc-20160719-column.html

Here's how to have fun with it

Am I the only one that finds this a bit ridiculous?

The words that were 'stolen' are all some of the biggest cliches that have heard a million times and probably said to my own kids a few times already..

It's not as if we are talking about anyone's unique research or findings..

-----quote----

In one example, Mrs. Trump said: "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."

Eight years ago, Mrs. Obama said: "And Barack and I were raised with so many of the same values: like, you work hard for what you want in life, that your word is your bond, that you do what you say you're going to do, that you treat people with dignity and respect."

--------

I'm a bit turned off on the election now and junk like this doesn't help

Many saying should just accept Hillary, but with this silliness...

Why didn't she just quote something from the Bible all she had to do was ask her husband after all he is such an expert on the Bible. "nobody reads bible more than me" Trump.

I believe he's having the Donald J Trump authorised version printed which includes such aphorisms as ' let ME be the first to cast a stone '.

His wife didn't plagiarise anything, she just read what was put in front of her and it's the so called script writers at fault, well probably not if they work for Donald.

Well then, I guess you all just don't read, unless Melania is a liar. Just google, "Melania claims she wrote speech." You'll get thousands of hits; although she does claim, "with as little help as possible." Perhaps that means as much help as possible.

Posts with oversized graphics and inflammatory and off-topic posts have been removed.

Trump has had his share of first class tail.

image.jpeg

Woooo-EH! It's warm in here. Jeez I'd look good hanging out of that

I must admit, I'm not impressed with Melania, but if somebody hopes this will get me to vote for Hillary they will be disappointed.