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A Melania Trump memoir? Internet dubs it 'copy-paste' of Michelle Obama's book, recalls plagiarism controversy

'Melania is in meetings to write her White House memoir. And it would be her money — a chance for her to earn on her own,' an insider said
PUBLISHED NOV 29, 2020
Melania Trump and Michelle Obama (Getty Images)
Melania Trump and Michelle Obama (Getty Images)

Presidents and first ladies writing books isn’t a new trend. However, a lot of people were curious about the current POTUS Donald Trump penning a book. As reported earlier, Trump is being offered book and TV deals worth around $100 million as part of a "Plan B". The president is being "bombarded" with lucrative book and TV offers about his time in the White House. He is also receiving offers from far-right TV outlets.

Now, according to Page Six, sources have exclusively informed them that Melania Trump has been holding meetings about writing a book on her time as first lady. An insider told Page Six, “Melania is in meetings to write her White House memoir. And it would be her money — a chance for her to earn on her own.” The source also said, “I’m told her husband is encouraging her” to pen the book. “She’s not done, or going as quietly as you might expect.” Also, “in the wake of Stephanie Winston Wolkoff’s betrayal, in both print and on secret tapes, Melania’s story could be worth big money”.

David Wolkoff and Stephanie Winston Wolkoff with Melania and Donald Trump (Getty Images)

Wolkoff was once Melania’s former friend and adviser who published the tell-all ‘Melania and Me’ in September. Melania criticized Wolkoff in an essay last month published on the White House website. In a rare statement issued on the official website for the White House, and later tweeted by FLOTUS, she blasted the media for focusing on baseless claims made by the author of 'Melania and Me: The Rise and Fall of My Friendship with The First Lady'. She said Wolkoff "hardly knew me" and was "trying to distort my character". She captioned the tweet, "When the media chooses to focus on self-serving individuals & salacious gossip instead of work to help our next generation, it needs to be talked about."



 

Soon, people on Twitter started talking about the news. A user alleged, “She’s probably just going to put her picture on Michelle Obama’s book and call it a day. Lol.” Another said, “Michelle Obama's memoir: Becoming Melania Trump's memoir: Became.” A user commented, “Melania Trump preparing to pen a memoir (likely by using the copy & paste function on "Becoming" by Michelle Obama) is a sign of how little confidence there is inside the #WhiteHouse in a second Trump term.” Another joked, “Melania Trump’s memoir was so good when Michelle Obama released it in 2018.” One alleged, "Melania Trump is "preparing to pen memoir on her time in the White House" Please Be Best Melania, don't copy paste Michelle Obama "Becoming" for god's sake."



 



 



 



 



 

Melania Trump and plagiarism allegations

Donald Trump and Melania Trump (Getty Images)

In 2016, she was caught in the middle of a controversy after her Republican National Convention speech. However, there were allegations, as reported by USA Today, that her speech had uncanny similarities to Michelle Obama’s 2008 Democratic National Convention. Even though it was not entirely a verbatim match, a certain section in the speech had considerable similarity in wording, construction and themes, as noted by USA Today.

Later, as reported by CNN, Meredith McIver identified herself as the person responsible for plagiarism in Melania’s convention speech and offered her resignation. In a statement, she apologized and said Donald and Melania Trump did not accept her resignation. The statement read: “Over the phone, she read me some passages from Mrs. Obama's speech as examples. I wrote them down and later included some of the phrasing in the draft that ultimately became the final speech. I did not check Mrs. Obama's speeches. This was my mistake, and I feel terrible for the chaos I have caused Melania and the Trumps, as well as to Mrs. Obama. No harm was meant.”

Again in 2018, as reported by The Hill, a booklet published as part of Melania's ‘Be Best’ campaign had similarities with a document first published by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) during the Obama administration. As per the report, the initial version read: “Parents, click here to read Talking with Kids about Being Online, a booklet by First Lady Melania Trump and the Federal Trade Commission.” They updated it saying, “Parents, click here to read 'Talking with Kids about Being Online,' a Federal Trade Commission booklet, promoted by First Lady Melania Trump."

But people, especially on social media, were alleging similarities with a brochure titled ‘Net Cetera — Chatting with Kids About Being Online’, which was put out by the FTC in 2014. The fact-checking website Snopes, termed it as a mostly false allegation and stated that: “Melania Trump did not claim she had written the pamphlet herself, and she contributed an introduction to a slightly revised version of the booklet. The FTC was always credited for the creation of the booklet and supported its inclusion in the First Lady's "Be Best" campaign.”

The first lady's office had released a statement. It read: “Mrs. Trump agreed to add Be Best branding and distribute the booklet in an effort to use her platform to amplify the positive message within. As she said in yesterday’s speech, she is going to use Be Best to promote people and organizations to encourage conversation and replication, and helping the FTC distribute this booklet is just one small example. Despite providing countless outlets with ample background, information, and on-the-record comments from the FTC, some media have chosen to take a day meant to promote kindness and positive efforts on behalf of children, to instead lob baseless accusations towards the First Lady and her new initiatives.”

These remarks were made by the Internet and individual organizations, MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and nor does it support these claims being made on the Internet.

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