When Melania Trump Was Accused of Plagiarizing Michelle Obama's 2008 Speech for Her RNC Debut

Former First Ladies Melania Trump and Michelle Obama are often compared with one another, but this one time back in 2016, it was with a very good reason. Melania made her debut at the Republican National Convention in 2016 with a speech highlighting her journey, her marriage with her husband former President Donald Trump, and her hopes and dreams for the future of America. 

After she concluded her address to the RNC in Cleveland, observers quickly saw striking parallels between her speech and one Michelle Obama had given at the Democratic convention in 2008, per CNBC News. “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 promises, that you treat people with respect,” Melania spoke in 2016.

She added, to an applauding audience, “They thought, and showed me, values and morals in their daily life that is a lesson 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.”

Los Angeles journalist Jarett Hill was the first to point out the striking similarities. He wrote at the time in a post on X, formerly Twitter, “Melania stole a whole graph from Michelle's speech. #GOPConvention.”

It seems like Hill could be correct. According to a transcript obtained by National Public Radio, Barack Obama's wife in her 2008 Denver DNC speech said, “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.”

Explaining their relationship and their set of values, Michelle said, “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.”

Later, the New York Times noted what it claimed to be yet another resemblance between the speech and Michelle's 2008 speech. Melania noted of her parents, “Their integrity, compassion, and intelligence reflects to this day on me and for my love of family and America,” which The Times explained was closely similar to Michelle's description of her mother, “One of my greatest joys is seeing her integrity, her compassion, and her intelligence reflected in my own daughters.” 

In an exclusive NBC News interview, Melania had earlier disclosed to Matt Lauer that she had written most of her speech herself, but a the height of the plagiarism accusations, Melania's team clarified that Melania's speech could have contained “fragments”  of other people's writings and speeches. 

“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. Melania’s immigrant experience and love for America shone through in her speech, which made it such a success,” Miller said.