Accusations of plagiarism in a speech by Donald Trump’s wife dominated the Republican convention on Tuesday just when the party was hoping to focus on the formal anointing of her businessman husband as its White House nominee.
Melania Trump's address to the 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.
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.
Later, however, Sean Spicer, chief strategist for the RNC, dismissed the controversy as “silly” and said there was no need to fire anyone.
Speaking on CNN, Spicer said that the words at issue in the speech were “common phrases” used by people like singer John Legend and the character, Twilight Sparkle, the unicorn pony that stars in the animated series, “My Little Pony Friendship is Magic.”
The controversy raised questions about the Trump campaign's attention to detail as he squares off against the larger, more organized operation of Democratic rival Hillary Clinton and seeks to win the job of president on Nov. 8.
Melania Trump's speech followed rowdy scenes on the floor of the convention on Monday, the first day of the gathering, when Trump opponents staged a failed attempt to force a vote opposing his candidacy.
Trump, a real estate developer and former reality TV star who has never held elective office, is trailing Clinton in many polls after a bruising Republican primary season. The party is trying to turn attention to its formal declaration of Trump as its presidential nominee on Tuesday night.
Convention organizers are worried about political protests in Cleveland but so far demonstrations have been peaceful. Three women were arrested after climbing a flagpole near the convention site and hanging an anti-Trump banner.
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 percent of the speech is completely different from Michelle Obama’s speech, and they express common thoughts."
A small section of Melania Trump's roughly 15-minute address closely resembled a part of Michelle Obama’s speech eight years ago in support of Barack Obama, who was then campaigning for president.
Melania Trump, a Slovenian-born jewelry designer and former model, talked about passing on to the next generation the value of hard work that she inherited from her parents and said "the only limit to your achievements is the strength of your dreams and your willingness to work for them."
Her words closely echoed those of the Michelle Obama in 2008.
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."
Trump himself made no mention of the accusations about plagiarism in a Twitter post early on Tuesday, saying simply: "It was truly an honor to introduce my wife, Melania Trump last night. Her speech and demeanor were absolutely incredible. Very proud!"
Melania Trump's big night failed to draw in bumper audiences to the major TV networks. Preliminary data from ABC, NBC and CBS showed some 10 million Americans watched during the time she was on stage, down from the roughly 11 million people who watched the first night of the Republican convention in 2012.
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