Donald Trump’s wife has been criticised for giving a speech that bears similarities to a speech given by Michelle Obama in 2008.
Mrs Trump took to the stage at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland on Monday to speak in support of her husband, presumptive Republican candidate Donald Trump.
During her appearance, journalist Jarrett Hill pointed out that some passages in her speech appeared to be lifted from a speech given by Michelle Obama at the Democratic Convention in 2008.
The passages in question discussed the importance of family and hard work.
"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," Mrs Trump said.
"They taught and showed me morals in their daily life. That is the lesson that I continue to pass along to our son. And we need to pass those lessons on to 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."
The quotes showed similarity to this section of Mrs Obama's 2008 speech:
"... 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."
The transcripts have been compared online:
And many Twitter users have poked fun at Mrs Trump:
Mr Trump's campaign team later issued a statement about the speech, but did not tackle the allegations of plagiarism directly.
"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," the statement said.
"Melania's immigrant experience and love for America shone through in her speech, which made it such a success".
Watch the full speech:
Watch Mrs Obama's 2008 speech:
