Following the report of the tragic death of Kobe Bryant, his thirteen-year-old daughter Gianna, and other still-unidentified helicopter passengers, people all over the country shared their condolences online, including several politicians and public figures.
Shortly after the news broke, President Donald Trump posted this tweet, which was inaccurate and far from eloquent, but otherwise adequate: “Reports are that basketball great Kobe Bryant and three others have been killed in a helicopter crash in California. That is terrible news!”
As expected, former President Barack Obama posted a far more eloquent tweet: “Kobe was a legend on the court and just getting started in what would have been just as meaningful a second act. To lose Gianna is even more heartbreaking to us as parents. Michelle and I send love and prayers to Vanessa and the entire Bryant family on an unthinkable day.”
But then, two hours after Obama’s tweet, Trump posted this second tweet about Kobe: “Kobe Bryant, despite being one of the truly great basketball players of all time, was just getting started in life. He loved his family so much, and had such strong passion for the future,” Trump wrote. “The loss of his beautiful daughter, Gianna, makes this moment even more devastating. Melania and I send our warmest condolences to Vanessa and the wonderful Bryant family. May God be with you all!”
And Twitter was set on fire:
…..Melania and I send our warmest condolences to Vanessa and the wonderful Bryant family. May God be with you all!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 26, 2020
dude all you did was rewrite Obama's tweet. jealous much pic.twitter.com/M9bsjPHGY1
— Jeff Tiedrich (@itsJeffTiedrich) January 26, 2020
You just literally plagiarized Obama’s tweet that he sent earlier! WTAF?! pic.twitter.com/EbtWzqSuDt
— Leadfoot _LA (@Leadfoot_LA) January 26, 2020
Imagine wanting to be Obama so bad that you plagiarized his tweet.#plagiarism
— Angela Belcamino (@AngelaBelcamino) January 27, 2020
— Billy D Resist 45* Never Again is Right Now (@EugJHawk) January 27, 2020
The original, from a legitimate POTUS before it was plagiarized: pic.twitter.com/IIxXFqvuBs
— Trinity (@TrinityResists) January 27, 2020
Obama has 1M likes, there is no way you would come close to that
— Denise Wu (@denisewu) January 26, 2020
It's very depressing! & imbarrassing! that u had to plagiarize President Obama's Tweet! with almost 2 million likes! Because u truly are incapable of sympathy! U Delusional treasonous pathological liar fucking moron rancid fishlips incompetent corrupt clueless IMPEACHED ASSHOLE! pic.twitter.com/Z125wwemhB
— Frank D'Angelo (@FrankDangelo23) January 27, 2020
You just gonna plagiarize President Obama like that? I'm not be least bit surprised. Didn't Melanie plagiarize First Lady Obama?
You and Melanie are both trash.
— Sergio Siano🗽 (@siano4progress) January 27, 2020
