With Donald Trump’s campaign reeling from charges of plagiarism, a speechwriter for his company took the blame and offered to resign over nearly identical passages from Melania Trump’s Republican convention speech and Michelle Obama’s remarks eight years ago.
The speechwriter, however, made it clear that Melania Trump knew that the passages she read to an enthralled convention Monday night had come from Michelle Obama.
Advertisement
“A person she has always liked is Michelle Obama,” the speechwriter, Meredith McIver, said of Mrs. Trump in a statement Wednesday from the campaign. “Over the phone, she read me some passages from Mrs Obama’s speech as examples. I wrote them down and later included some of the phrasing in the draft that ultimately became the final speech.”
Melania Trump (left), speaks at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland on Monday. Her speech included passages spoken by Michelle Obama at the the 2008 Democratic National Convention. Photos: Reuters
The controversy hung over the opening days of the GOP convention, overshadowing Mrs. Trump’s performance, which was warmly received by those in the convention hall.
Advertisement
It also distracted from an event designed to unify Republicans behind the billionaire businessman, while introducing his family to the nation.
