Former Obama speechwriter baffled by similarities between Melania Trump, Michelle Obama speeches

(Image credit: Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Imagesn)

last updated 19 July 2016

A former speechwriter for President Obama said he has "no idea" how so many similar lines from a speech delivered by Michelle Obama in 2008 could have made their way into Melania Trump's Republican National Convention speech.

Obama's remarks were written by Sarah Hurwitz for the 2008 Democratic National Convention; Hurwitz is now a special assistant to President Obama. Former Obama speechwriter Jon Favreau told BuzzFeed that a "stray line or phrase could be a mistake. Two full paragraphs from the current first lady is just incomprehensible. I can't believe someone would do that to her." The Trump campaign hasn't commented yet on the plagiarism accusations. Catherine Garcia

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.

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