Why did Melania Trump's speech at the Republican Convention raise suspicions of "plagiarism" because of its resemblance to one by Michelle Obama?
Donald Trump's wife, Melania, took the stage during the first night of the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, USA, to offer a personal insight into her husband. Many rated her words positively, until several realized that some passages were "plagiarized."
It was the first time that the wife of the one who won the Republican Party nomination on Tuesday gave an important speech.
She spoke of the "unlikely" Trump campaign, while highlighting her loyal and strong personality.
Commentators, however, began to notice the curious similarity between Mrs. Trump's words and those spoken by First Lady Michelle Obama eight years earlier, when the current president was nominated by the Democratic convention.
The businessman's campaign team denied on Tuesday that Melania Trump had copied fragments of the speech given by Obama.
Plagiarism?
This is one of the passages from Melania Trump's speech at the opening of the Republican convention:
"From an early age, my parents instilled in me the values that you work hard for what you want in life, that your word is your obligation and that you do what you say and keep your promise, that you treat people with respect."
On August 25, 2008, during the Democratic National Convention, Michelle Obama included this paragraph in her speech:
"Barack and I grew up with many of the same values. For example: you work hard for what you want in life, that your word is your obligation that you do what you say you will do, that you treat people with dignity and respect like that you don't know them or don't agree with them. "
This Monday, in the city of Cleveland, the wife of the billionaire businessman continued to tell the congregation:
"(My parents) taught me and showed moral values in their daily lives. That is a lesson that I continue to pass on to our son and we need to pass those lessons on to the multiple generations that follow, because we want our children in this nation to know that the The only limit to your achievements is the strength of your dreams and your willingness to work for them. "
And eight years earlier, in the city of Denver, Colorado, this is what Michelle Obama said about it:
"Barack and I did not commit to building lives guided by these values and passing them on to the next generations because we want our children and all children in this nation to know that the only limit to the size of your achievements is the scope of your dreams and your willingness to work hard for them. "
Low profile
Mrs. Trump and the politician's campaign team have given different accounts of who wrote the speech.
She told the American television network NBC that she wrote it and later received help from others.
But the Trump campaign said in a statement after the speech was broadcast that "Melania's writing team took note of her life aspirations, and in some instances included excerpts that reflected her own thinking."
Melania Trump has reportedly been working with a professional speechwriter.
She was one of many figures who took the convention stage during the opening day. Among them are a county sheriff, a decorated war veteran and a former model.
They told stories of military service, urban crime, and the dangers of illegal immigration.
For her part, Melania Trump took a more personal turn, highlighting the qualities of her husband.
"She's firm when she has to be but she's also kind and fair and kind," she said.
"Her goodness isn't always recognized but it's there for everyone to see. That's one of the reasons I fell in love with her to begin with."
Melania is the businessman's third wife. The Slovenian-born former model has kept a low profile compared to other candidate wives.
It has been Trump's adult children who have assumed the role traditionally occupied by wives.
Donald Trump introduced his wife to the convention, an unusual gesture, since normally the candidate does not appear until the official nomination occurs.
