'These aren't words that belong to Obama': Donald Trump's campaign shrugs off plagiarism accusations
In a series of early-morning media appearances, top campaign officials and surrogates shrugged off the controversy, which popped up after observers noticed striking similarities between parts of the two speeches.
On "CBS This Morning," campaign chair Paul Manafort denied that Melania Trump lifted any of Obama's speech, saying there were "not that many similarities." But he also suggested that Melania Trump may have lifted from Obama's speech "subconsciously."
"It's basically three places in the speech, and it's fragments of words," Manafort said.
He added: "There was nothing that she did in that speech that she thought was any words but herself."
Manafort defended the speechwriting process, which he described as a "collaboration" between Melania Trump and the campaign, and said he "can't remember what Obama said eight years ago."
"We're talking about compassion, love of family, respect - these are not words that belong to the Obama family," Manafort said.
Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey, who was considered as a potential running mate for presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump, defended Trump's wife on the "Today" show on Tuesday. He said the Trump campaign was "trying to do a lot of things at one time" and added that he would not describe the speech as plagiarized.
"Not when 93% of the speech is different than Michelle Obama's speech," Christie said.
"I know Melania," Christie added. "I think she worked very hard on that speech. And a lot of what I heard last night sitting on the floor sounded very much like her and the way she speaks about Donald all the time."
Democrats were quick to denounce the lifted lines from the speech.
In an interview on CNN on Tuesday, Democratic National Committee chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz said the Trump campaign's denial that the speech was plagiarized raised a larger question about the campaign's integrity.
"Any time they are caught red-handed engaging in distortions, inaccuracies, a fact pattern that is clearly not accurate, they blame someone else," Schultz said. "And so they should be prepared to be held accountable for the content of anything delivered from the stage of the Republican National Convention."
In a statement early Tuesday morning, senior Trump adviser Jason Miller said Melania Trump's team of speechwriters "took notes on her life's inspirations and in some instances included fragments that reflected her own thinking."
Miller said: "Melania's immigrant experience and love for America shone through in her speech, which made it such a success."