There are stories going around claiming that Melania Trump plagiarized a good chunk of her speech last night from a 2008 speech by Michelle Obama. Nothing could be further from the truth! Here’s a complete transcript of Melania’s speech — see for yourself!
Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears! The Barack Obama I know today is the same man I fell in love with 19 years ago.
Say it loud, I’m black and I’m proud!
It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife. Reader, I married him.
Don’t be fooled by the rocks that I got. I’m still, I’m still Jenny from the block. I ain’t no hollaback girl. Ich bein ein Berliner. I like turtles. I love lamp.
Say what you want about the tenets of National Socialism, Dude, at least it’s an ethos.
And in conclusion, it’s people — soylent green is people! Use the force, Luke.
Only you can prevent forest fires.
Inspiring and original words from the wife of a man who will never be President of the United States!
H/T — Inspiration from the #FamousMelaniaTrumpQuotes hashtag on Twitter. I found the pic above in a tweet from @Jenny_from_ThaD.
@SFHC
Yep, that’s appropriate. 🙂
ARGH I CAN’T GET THE THING TO IMBED FORGET IT I GIVE UP
I…what? Why do our politicians (and potential politicians) not understand the first thing about female anatomy? What species does Donald think his wife is if she doesn’t pass anything at all through her bowels?
Most people couldn’t write a speech without help, especially not in a language that isn’t their native language. So I don’t believe that Melania Trump wrote that speech mostly by herself. She most likely got lots of help with structure, phrasing, grammar, theme, and so on. Some of that help apparently came from Michelle Obama’s speechwriter of 2008.
Contrary to Melania’s claim, I also don’t believe that she read the speech only once before delivering it. I think that she’s had lots of coaching on how to deliver a political speech, and I think that she practiced the speech for quite some time.
But I’m a hardened skeptic: I also don’t believe that Melania’s eyes are aqua colored.
Nor do I believe that Melania has never had plastic surgery:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3561768/Melania-Trump-DENIES-having-Botox-plastic-surgery-new-interview-forced-admit-existence-secret-half-brother-Slovenia.html
@booburry & Axecalibur
I’m reluctant to focus on a woman who can’t reasonably turn down an RNC speaking slot, can’t reasonably say that her speech was written by a plagiarizer without her involvement, and can’t reasonably stay out of the limelight while this whole circus is going on. She said the things she had to say, regardless of whether it’s true or not. She couldn’t reasonably have said anything different. Yes, she has agency, but she doesn’t have the superhuman powers of perfect honesty, courage, conviction and independence. She is also not immune to the pressure of expectations.
Having said that, she’s probably a terrible person. But even if she weren’t, under these current circumstances we’d never know.
Speaking of Republican presidential hilarity, Trump’s selection of whatsisbutt for VP reminded me to check in on very smart person and hypnotist Scott Adams. A few weeks ago, Adams used his flawless, hypnotism-based predictive powers to call Chris Christie as VP. I recall him bragging about how stupid all the doubters would feel when he turned out to be right, because he’s always right on account of him and Donald Trump both being very smart people with hypnotic powers.
Not especially surprised to see that he hasn’t posted in a couple of days and definitely hasn’t mentioned Trump’s VP pick. In fact, going through the archives, I can’t find the post where he so confidently predicted a Trump/Christie. Happily, Adams did not choose to delete the video where he brags about being able to outwit his dog.
Possibly the best thing in this whole affair to me is that the sections of Michelle Obama’s speech that she plagiarized were about the value of honesty, hard work, and integrity. That’s truly some delicious irony icing on that whole ridiculous cake.
@IP
Oh, sure. Which is why I won’t be shitting on her like I would if Onion Skin McGee had done it. It’s a nothing controversy, and she has enough to deal with. There is, however, a possibility that she really did watch Obama’s speech, copied some of it, and is now lying about doing so. The opposite of a big deal. I still don’t like the idea of assuming she must be an entirely innocent party in all this. That she couldn’t have, even in concert with others in the campaign, actively decided to do something mildly bad. If that makes sense?
Either way, best case scenario for her and us is for everyone to forget any of this happened in a few days. The scandal(s) of the Racist Nativist Convention (see what I did thar) shouldn’t revolve around the spouse’s forgettable speech. There’s so much worse
Americans, I have a question for you. Why do you actually take Trump seriously? I’m Russian, and in Russia everybody understands that is just a joker and a troll, his presidental campaign is just an elaborate prank and he is not running for president, he is just trolling the heck out of America. Why don’t you guys understand it? It’s goddamn obvious!
I apologize for my not-so-perfect English.
Axecalibur – I agree with the not mocking thing. I mean, I’ve rolled my eyes and laughed about it but most of the attacks will be of the women/non-native speaker variety and that shit ain’t cool either.
@David
Hey, just wanted to let you know there’s a spelling error in the article – it’s supposed to be ‘Ich bin ein Berliner’, not ‘Ich bein ein Berliner’. Because ‘bein’ means ‘leg’ and that might just make it a tad weird.
@kupo
Easy question: a parasite, same as him. <3
@ Dengler
Trump is now officially the Republican candidate for president. His name is going to be on the ballot come November. If he’s just trolling, he’s taken it just a liiiiiiiittle too far.
@ lindsayirene (& jokester)
I don’t know if you saw our little discussion about Islamic Eschatology? There are a number of signs that the Fitnah (the apocalypse) is imminent. I’m trying not to be concerned about this one (there are two variants of the sign)
Building a wall along any of Equestria’s borders would be totally against everything Twilight Sparkle stands for. She’s about spreading harmony and friendship.
Plus, the quote from Twilight Sparkle used by Sean Spicer is out of context. Twilight has dreams, as in aspirations, and she’s very successful at reaching her goals. But this particular quote refers to a literal dream – a shared dream in which the citizens of Ponyville are sharing a dream so that an entity that threatens their peace of mind might be defeated. In their dreams, ponies who in everyday life couldn’t fly are able to fly, or become giants or superheros. That’s what she means.
Mr Spicer got it completely out of context.
Hmm, in a rather spooky coincidence this just popped up in my Facebook feed.
http://www.newyorker.com/humor/borowitz-report/republicans-accused-of-plagiarizing-entire-convention-scenario-from-book-of-revelation
@Neon Vincent
This
clusterfuckelection just got…http://i.imgur.com/s4Zq4aZ.gif
@Dengler
Where are you in Russia because where I am in Russia, I’m not seeing that at all. In fact, several Russian people have asked me to please vote for Trump because Clinton will nuke Russia.
To which I respond with laughter, of the snorting/choking variety.
Apparently I’m the only one who noticed that both of them plagiarized from the book: “Pulling ourselves up by our bootstraps: A compendium of the favourite anodine platitudes of middle America” by Rev. Pat Riot & Mr Smith-Washington. “Your word is your bond”? Does anyone believe that about any politician? The only limit to your achievements is the breadth of your dreams and you willingness to work hard? Not even in Utopia… That’s some pernicious bullshit right there.
I disagree with the not-mocking-her crowd.
First, it’s perfectly possible for a foreigner to be proficient enough in English to write a speech. In this day and age, and especially in a presidential campaign in the US, it would be expected to be proofread and/or corrected, but that would also happen with a speech written by a native. If she isn’t proficient enough, she could have written the speech in her native tongue and have it translated.
Second, if it’s true that the speech was written by someone else, she’s lying. And she’s lying trying to deceive the people that is about to vote a presidential candidate of a country that is powerful enough to affect a good part of the world. Saying ‘that’s what is expected from her’ is no excuse for her complicity.
Third, she’s supporting and a key public figure and a symbol pushing forward a candidate that has expressed and represents the most hateful ideas held by a presidential candidate in a long time.
She’s a person with power and agency. She chose to do all of this, and she could step down at any time. She is a fair target of mockery and criticism.
And she doesn’t deserve the sexist contempt that reduces her to a dumb bimbo doing what her husband’s campaign managers tell her to.
I disagree that she chose to do it and that she could step down at any time. I think that it’s more than likely that Trump is abusive to her; stepping down in that case isn’t really an option. I don’t think she’s a dumb bimbo, I think she’s making the best choices she can in an awful situation.
So, y’know, if you’re cool with mocking someone in an abusive relationship, then… go for it, I guess?
i’m on the “she has agency” side of things. Donald Trump wasn’t some obscure businessman when she married him, she’s the third wife of a guy who was talking about “if he ran for president” as far back as interviews in the 1990s. So she doesn’t get a pass on this just because she’s not a career politician. She’s a career “wife-of-a-famous-person” and scrutiny comes with the territory.
That’s a fairly strong accusation to make with no indication that it is the case. She’s surely under pressure, sure, that’s what happens when you’re at the frontline of a presidential campaign, but why are you saying she’s abused?
That’s a pretty low blow: you’re going from you thinking “it’s likely that she’s abused” to me being cool with mocking abuse victims.
I don’t have any hint that she’s abused. And the mockery is for her deception and lies, not for any suspected abuse.
If there was any evidence that Trump is abusing her, we should definitely focus on that and call it out. That and the fact that someone in the campaign was fabricating all the lies and deception, if she happens to be coerced into pretending it’s her. But in the absence of any hints, throwing around unsubstantiated claims of Trump’s abuse weakens the legitimate criticism for anyone on their side as imagined gossip.