The Problem With Trump Accusing DeSantis of Plagiarism?

The presidential campaign of Donald Trump sent at least 13 emails criticizing Gov. Ron DeSantis,(R-Fla.) after DeSantis declared his presidential campaign. These attacks were backed up by many social media posts that attacked the governor who Trump had once endorsed, and for whom he still claims credit in 2018.

One attack caught my attention: An email sent to the media with the subject “Ron DeSantis Plagiarises President Trump’s Great American Comeback.”

The email stated that “Ron DeSantis, despite a disastrous failure to launch his campaign, announced his candidacy using ‘Great American Comeback’, a phrase taken from President Donald J. Trump’s 2020 State of the Union Address,” The email read: “Perhaps the DeSantis communication staff was too preoccupied trying to extinguish flames from their candidate’s announcement in order to come up their own message.”

The message included a link to an online video that contained “evidence” for “plagiarism.”

Plagiarism? Really? Trump should not accuse anyone of copying a slogan, because he himself was accused of the same thing when he ran for president in 2008 with “Make America Great Again.”

Donald Trump’s “Make America Great Again” has become a trademark of its own. He uses it every time he speaks. It’s on his signs, hats, and shirts. He was not the first politician who used it. Ronald Reagan used it in his 1980 acceptance speech at Republican National Convention.

Reagan stated, “It’s time to get Americans back to work. We want to hear the confident voices of men and women across all races, religions, and nationalities who are bringing home a paycheck that they can use to buy money for their families.” We’ll help those who lack skills to acquire them. We will create new job opportunities for those who don’t have any. This is especially true in inner-city areas where these people live. We will restore hope to those who have lost hope and welcome them into our great national crusade of making America great again!

The slogan appeared on buttons, posters, and other items.

The same ad was used for a campaign:

Wikipedia states that “Make America Great Again” has been used by politicians for decades. Bill Clinton and Barry Goldwater both used it back in 1992. Trump claimed in 2015, that he created the slogan himself. Trump claimed that he created the slogan “Make America Great Again” himself. He said, “I came up with this phrase about a year back and I used it for a while, now everyone uses it and they all love it.” “I don’t know, I guess I should have copied it. Maybe I already did.”

One thing is to criticize a political opponent, but it’s quite another to throw out any ridiculous attack and hope that something sticks.