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Claims Melania Trump plagiarised Michelle Obama's speech are 'absurd': Donald Trump campaign official

Accusations of plagiarism in a speech by Donald Trump's wife are "absurd", a Trump campaign official says.

Melania Trump's address to the Republican National Convention in Cleveland on Monday night contained a section that was strikingly similar to words delivered at the Democratic convention in 2008 by the woman she hopes to succeed as first lady, Michelle Obama.

Melania Trump delivers her speech at the convention. Source: AP.
Melania Trump delivers her speech at the convention. Source: AP.

Shortly after the speech the internet was flooded with alleged evidence of the plagiarism.

But Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort told The Associated Press the issue had been "totally blown out of proportion", insisting no mistakes had been made with the speech.

"There were a few words on it, but they're not words that were unique words," he said.

"Ninety-nine percent of that speech talked about her being an immigrant and love of country and love of family and everything else," he added.

Journalist Jarrett Hill noticed a particular paragraph in the speech which seems to have been copied verbatim from Michelle Obama's speech.

Melania Trump's speech read as follows: “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; that 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 life.

"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.”

Donald Trump's wife, Melania Trump, is being accused of lifting whole parts of Michelle Obama’s 2008 speech at the Democratic National Convention. Source: AP.
Donald Trump's wife, Melania Trump, is being accused of lifting whole parts of Michelle Obama’s 2008 speech at the Democratic National Convention. Source: AP.

In her speech, Michelle Obama said: "And 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."

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Mr Manafort said claims Melania Trump had lifted parts of Michelle Obama's speech were
Mr Manafort said claims Melania Trump had lifted parts of Michelle Obama's speech were

Mr Manafort told CNN the 46-year-old former model knew "her speech was going to be scrutinised" and said claims she lifted parts of Michelle Obama’s 2008 speech were "just absurd".

He even tried to shift the blame on to Hillary Clinton.

"I mean, this is, once again, an example of when a woman threatens Hillary Clinton, how she seeks out to demean her and take her down," Mr Manafort said.

"It's not going to work."

As critics accused her of lifting passages from that speech, a Trump campaign official suggested the similarity was the result of an error by Melania Trump's speech writers.

Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus said he would probably fire the writer if that were the case.

Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus said Trump should probably fire the writer. Source: Getty.
Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus said Trump should probably fire the writer. Source: Getty.

Trump ally Chris Christie, the New Jersey governor, sought to defend Melania Trump by pointing to the parts of the speech that were not controversial.

Asked on NBC's "Today" show if as a former prosecutor he could make a case for plagiarism from the speech, he said, "No, not when 93 per cent of the speech is completely different from Michelle Obama's speech, and they express common thoughts."

"I think after tonight we won't be talking about this, we'll move on to whatever comes up tonight," he said.

Democrats said the speech showed that Trump's team is not ready for prime time.

"Real amateur hour," Dan Pfeiffer, a former senior adviser to Obama, told CNN. "They screwed up the first night."

Earlier in the day, in an interview with Matt Lauer on MSNBC, Melania said she wrote her own speech, with "as little help as possible".

Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump looked to his wife Melania to put the Republican convention back on track. Source: Getty Images
Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump looked to his wife Melania to put the Republican convention back on track. Source: Getty Images

Trump himself made no mention of the accusations about plagiarism in a Twitter post early on Tuesday, saying simply: "It was truly an honour to introduce my wife, Melania Trump last night. Her speech and demeanour were absolutely incredible. Very proud!"

However, the controversy raised questions about the Trump campaign's attention to detail as he squares off against the larger, more organised operation of Democratic rival Hillary Clinton and seeks to win the job of president on November 8.