Christie Defends Melania Trump: “93% of the Speech Is Completely Different”
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump gives his thumb up as he walks off the stage with his wife Melania during the Republican National Convention, Monday, July 18, 2016, in Cleveland.
Melania Trump headlined the first night of the Republican National Convention yesterday, and she gave what many considered a fine speech. “Melania Trump initially appeared to deliver the speech her husband needed to portray him in a softer light,” CNN reported. “She offered testimony about the character of her husband, Donald Trump, and said he would never let America down.”
But it’s that initially part of the report that is key here. Because about two paragraphs were cribbed from another speech. It gets funnier: The speech it was taken from was Michelle Obama’s 2008 DNC speech. Well, one way to make Melania sound like the first lady is to literally copy the words of the current wife of the president.
Plagiarism is generally not a huge deal in politics, and Republicans rushed to point out VP Joe Biden copied while in college and on the campaign trail. But others have just denied 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,” Trump spokesperson Jason Miller said. “Melania’s immigrant experience and love for America shone through in her speech, which made it such a success.” Trump ally Paul Manafort blamed Hillary Clinton.
Plagiarism?
"Not when 93% of the speech is completely different than Michelle Obama’s speech." –@GovChristie https://t.co/C280sUME33— TODAY (@TODAYshow) July 19, 2016
Some have gone even farther. Chris Christie went on the Today show this morning and said that most of the speech was not taken from Michelle Obama. Asked if it was plagiarism, Christie replied that “not when 93 percent of the speech is completely different than Michelle Obama’s speech.” Matt Lauer challenges him, and Christie begins talking about how the worst day of political conventions is the first one. The end, it seems.
The message here is: You want Chris Christie as your college professor, because you now have the green light to crib up to seven percent of your term papers.
Follow @dhm on Twitter.