Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump penned an op-ed earlier this month for the Pacific Daily News that appears eerily similar to one written less than two weeks earlier by his pal, Ben Carson.
Both articles, whose similarities were first reported by the Daily Caller, were published in separate U.S. territories and focus on economic issues and patriotism in these areas.
Carson’s op-ed, originally published Feb. 26 in a leading newspaper circulated in the Northern Mariana Islands, begins: “Many Americans do not appreciate the patriotism exhibited by our brothers and sisters in the Territories of American Samoa, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.”
The opening lines of Trump’s op-ed, published March 9 in Guam’s Pacific Daily News, includes identical wording in some places (bolded for the reader): “Throughout the history of our nation, the patriotism exhibited by our brothers and sisters in the Territories of American Samoa, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Commonwealths of Puerto Rico and the Northern Mariana Islands has often gone unacknowledged.”
Several paragraphs later, Trump’s op-ed again borrows from Carson’s. The billionaire writes, “Medical care in the American territories and commonwealths has historically lagged far behind the continental states, and Obamacare has only made the situation worse. Good health is an essential part of a thriving society and economy, and citizens of the territories and commonwealths deserve policies that work.”
The two sentences are a carbon-copy of a paragraph included in Carson’s op-ed.
Jason Osborne, Carson’s former senior communications strategist, rep
“Plagiarizing ideas, when you accept those ideas, isn’t plagiarism, it’s just flattery,” he said.
Meanwhile, Carson’s former campaign manager noted that several of his colleagues left the retired neurosurgeon’s campaign to work for Trump, and could have been involved with the Trump campaign’s communications.
Carson endorsed Trump last week, hours after the billionaire participated in the final GOP primary debate in Miami.
“Why would you get behind a man like Donald Trump? I’ll tell you why,” Carson told reporters at a press conference in Palm Beach, Fla. “I’ve come to know Donald Trump over the last few years. He is actually a very intelligent man who cares deeply about America.”
A spokeswoman for the Trump campaign could not be reached for comment.
