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Melania Trump, wife of Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, delivered an okay speech on the first day of the four day Republican National Convention that sounded oddly familiar to many members of the American media contingent. Why?
Probably because it was the same speech incumbent First Lady Michelle Obama delivered at the Democratic convention in 2008. That’s why.
An estimated 50,000 looked on as Trump repeatedly recited passages verbatim from Obama’s speech, particularly while speaking about her childhood as a young girl in Slovenia and “integrity, compassion and intelligence” – another quote lifted directly from Obama’s speech.
The similarities were first picked up by journalist Jarrett Hill, who was also quick to point out what everyone was also thinking: “It’s… so interesting for a candidate [to be] so anti-immigrant, but then his wife comes [from] well… Melania.”
CORRECTION: Melania stole a whole graph from Michelle’s speech. #GOPConvention
WATCH: https://t.co/8BCOwXAHSy pic.twitter.com/zudpDznGng— Jarrett Hill (@JarrettHill) July 19, 2016
The passages in question (highlighted in bold) include Melania remarking that, “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.“
Michelle Obama’s speech meanwhile, contains the following sentiments, with the similarities again highlighted in bold for your consideration: “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 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.“
Though the similarities between the two speeches are glaringly self-evident, perhaps what is most shocking is Melania’s direct quotation of the lyrics from Rick Astley’s 1987 single, Never Gonna Give You Up. Anyone even remotely familiar with early ‘meme’ culture will tell you that the quote in question says all you could ever possibly need to know about Melania, or what her speechwriters think of her.
(That is, that she’s a prize idiot.)
H/T Jezebel and Vox Tile and cover image: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
