She continued: “I just know that I watched it last night and I was impressed, so if it was Michelle’s, props to Michelle. But I’m impressed with that woman. She’s very classy.”
-Ruth Mahoney, 46, Republican, office administrator, Vandalia
“It shows you how desperate these people are to plagiarize a speech. It’s like I couldn’t believe it. They’re already having problems,” said Michael Luttrell, who was visiting the Dayton area from Arizona.
“It’s just amazing that the campaign would actually approve a speech that’s been plagiarized; so basically they don’t even do their own research on what’s going to be said out there.”
-Michael Luttrell, 54, Democrat, unemployed, Arizona
What the first lady says matters because she’s representing the United States, John Sadler of Chester Twp., Clinton County, said.
“I don’t think she’s positioned to be the first lady right now, even though I’m a Republican,” Sadler said. “I don’t think she’s prepared.”
He also said he didn’t think the campaign should respond to the accusations. “I think they’ve been working too much on Donald rather than preparing her for the public. I think she was just caught off guard a bit.”
-John Sadler, 57, Republican, employed by AT&T, Chester Twp, Clinton County
“It’s all about honesty and what’s right for the country, and if you don’t have any original ideas, which, it’s consistent though with her husband,” said Jackie Swenson, of Springfield.
The Trump campaign should tell the truth, Swenson said. “She said she wrote her own speech, so come clean, admit you took it from Michelle Obama. It was a good speech, you know, but come up with some original ideas.”
-Jackie Swenson, 56, no party affiliation, beauty supply store manager, Springfield
“She may feel that same way, but I mean you should probably convey it in a different manner than just copying the same speech,” Blake Schach, a medical student from the Cleveland area, said. “It’s just unprofessional.”
-Blake Schach, 22, Republican, medical student from outside of Cleveland
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