A striking resemblance
This again. Somebody at the White House pretends Melania Trump wrote a thing that was actually written by someone in the Obama administration. Why do that?
US First Lady Melania Trump has been caught up in another plagiarism row, following the launch of her new online safety for children campaign on Monday.
A booklet put out by Mrs Trump bore a striking resemblance to one published under the Obama administration.
The text and graphics of the “Be Best” booklet were nearly identical to those in the previous edition.
Well that’s not “a striking resemblance,” it’s plagiarism. Words aren’t like faces; you don’t have a resemblance, you have the same words. The word “good” isn’t “like” the word “good”; it is that word.
Mrs Trump’s online safety booklet was initially billed on the initiative’s website as being “by First Lady Melania Trump and the Federal Trade Commission”.
After similarities to the Obama-era edition were picked up online, the text was revised to describe it as a “Federal Trade Commission booklet, promoted by First Lady Melania Trump”.
Why didn’t they just do it that way in the first place? What is wrong with them?
Launching the “Be Best” initiative at the White House on Monday, Mrs Trump said the aim was to promote healthy living, encourage positive use of social media, and combat opioid abuse.
“As we all know, social media can both positively and negatively affect our children, but too often it is used in negative ways,” she said.
Her decision to focus on cyberbullying has prompted questions about the behaviour of her husband, who frequently uses Twitter to attack and insult his opponents.
…
White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders was asked ahead of the launch of the initiative whether President Trump believed he bore any responsibility for the need to address cyberbullying.
“I think the idea that you’re trying to blame cyberbullying on the president is kind of ridiculous,” she said.
Sigh.
I guess she doesn’t get to add this publication to her CV. She’ll need some way to find a job or source of income once hubby has disposed of her for, literally, a younger model, but then she must have known this going in. She’s probably neck deep in NDAs, so a tell-all autobiography is unlikely. Though she might wait and see what happens with regards to enforcibility in the Stormy Daniels NDA matter…
“I think the idea that you’re trying to blame cyberbullying on the president is kind of ridiculous,” she said.
He might not have invented cyberbullying, but he drives it every day. To the extent that Trump’s behavior normalizes cyberbullying or influences others to engage in it, he is indeed to blame.
Trump’s marriages were 15 years, 6 years, and 14 (and counting) years. While not a good record, the notion he tosses his wife out for a younger model every couple of years is a bit exaggerated. He’s also much older, and it’s likely he and Melania have an “understanding”.
I’m sure they have a pre-nup that leaves her with a pittance…which in Trumpworld is “only” a few million.
So I think it’s unlikely the fantasy that Melania’s going to soon be divorced and broke is likely to play out.
The cover of the booklet is hilarious. They’ve changed the title, the author’s *cough* name and have slightly altered some of the borders around some of the pictures.
*WHY* did they do that? Did they think that made it a totally different document? Even more stupidly than that, the copied version looks significantly worse than the original, even with only those minute changes.
I suppose I should read the text since this is an area I’m supposed to have some expertise in. But I can’t summon the strength.
@Skeletor:
Well, technically, yeah. But it was still a bloody good excuse for Bruce to say “literally, a younger model”, which was well worth a bit of hyperbole.
Why did they do it? It would be nice to think some inner-circle member was quietly tossing sand in the crankcase. But I doubt it. They are exactly as stupid and incompetent as this little project demonstrates. And, for 99% of their ‘base,’ it won’t make any difference.
I saw a snippet of the rollout of this bilge, and was shocked at how poorly Ms Trump spoke. Is it really a thick accent? Or does she actually grasp much of anything in English. When your previous ‘career’ has been ‘professional decoration’ it doesn’t speak for coherence and/or comprehension.
John the Drunkard, I think you’re missing the point. The point is that the Obamas traveled back in time right after Melania wrote her book, and put it out under someone else’s name just to make the Trump’s look bad. The Obama time machine is kept very busy.