Spokesperson says ‘every word’ of Melania Trump’s convention address will be her own

A spokesperson for first lady Melania Trump said Tuesday that “every word” in her speech to the Republican National Convention would be her own.

Stephanie Grisham, the first lady’s spokesperson, was responding to a question during an appearance on MSNBC about accusations of plagiarism that Melania Trump faced in 2016 because a portion of her convention address closely resembled remarks from former first lady Michelle Obama years earlier.

“I think that it’s been very, very clear that over the last three and a half years, Mrs. Trump has done nothing but learn and grow in this role and she’s been doing a fantastic job at that,” Grisham said on MSNBC. “We have been working really hard the last three weeks. I can tell you that every word in the speech is from her. It’s very authentic and it’s going to come from the heart.”

Grisham said that the speech would be one of Melania Trump’s longer addresses that she has given as first lady and described the remarks as “positive and uplifting.” The remarks will touch on her “Be Best” anti-bullying initiative, Grisham said.

“I would say it’s very forward-looking. She definitely lays out some of the things she wants to do with Be Best in the next four years,” Grisham said.

The first lady is slated to deliver the keynote address during the second evening of the Republican National Convention on Tuesday. She will speak from the White House Rose Garden, which was recently renovated under her direction. President Trump, Vice President Pence and second lady Karen Pence are scheduled to attend the speech.

Trump campaign communications director Tim Murtaugh told reporters that the first lady’s outdoor address would have a “small audience,” adding that the campaign was taking all appropriate precautions during the coronavirus pandemic.

Melania Trump came under fire in 2016 after delivering her convention address in Cleveland, Ohio, when it became clear that one of the passages from the speech bore striking resemblance to a section of Michelle Obama’s 2008 Democratic National Convention address.

An employee of the Trump Organization ultimately acknowledged that phrases of Michelle Obama’s speech had been included in the final draft, but said it was accidental.