Trump Jr.'s Plagiarism Tweet Causes a Ruckus

Later suggests accusation against Obama was tongue-in-cheek
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 29, 2016 10:34 AM CDT
Trump Jr's Plagiarism Tweet Causes a Ruckus
Donald Trump Jr. speaks during the second day of the Republican National Convention.   (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

There's a new plagiarism kerfuffle making the rounds in political circles, but this one is a little strange. It begins with this tweet from Donald Trump Jr.: "I'm honored that POTUS would plagiarize a line from my speech last week. Where's the outrage?" He was referring to President Obama's speech at the convention, in which Obama says at one point, "That is not the America I know." In his own speech earlier, Trump Jr. had said, "That's not the America I know." NBC News does a thorough rehashing of the phrase, finding that Obama has used it previously in speeches as president, as did George W. Bush. The Washington Post notes that both Bushes actually used it, as did Walter Cronkite, and on and on.

All of which has prompted a lot of ridicule in Trump's direction: "Donald Trump Jr. Attempts to Call Out Obama Over Plagiarism, Fails Miserably," reads a headline at Complex; "... He's Confused About What Plagiarism Means," reads another at Bustle. But the Palm Beach Post notes that after the issue went viral, Trump was asked on Twitter if he was being serious with the accusation. "No, but I did think it was funny," he wrote in response. "The overreaction is even more funny." (His father says he was being sarcastic in his comments about Russian hackers.)

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