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| Version 0 | Version 1 |
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| 9 Times Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump Seemed to Have the Same Speechwriter | 9 Times Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump Seemed to Have the Same Speechwriter |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| It was a historic night that called for soaring rhetoric and unvarnished authenticity. Instead, Hillary Clinton and Donald J. Trump delivered victory speeches on Tuesday that leaned heavily on campaign clichés — in many cases, the same ones. | |
| On the page, anyway, the ideological and stylistic chasms that separate them start to dissolve in a sea of overlapping oratorical devices, similar phrases and at times identical word choice. | On the page, anyway, the ideological and stylistic chasms that separate them start to dissolve in a sea of overlapping oratorical devices, similar phrases and at times identical word choice. |
| Are their speechwriters out of juice? Or is the hackneyed phrase just too irresistible? | Are their speechwriters out of juice? Or is the hackneyed phrase just too irresistible? |
| We identified the passages that sounded the most alike: | We identified the passages that sounded the most alike: |
| TRUMP: Tonight we close one chapter in history and we begin another. | TRUMP: Tonight we close one chapter in history and we begin another. |
| CLINTON: Now you are writing a new chapter of that story. | CLINTON: Now you are writing a new chapter of that story. |
| It’s a country, not a book. But this speechmaking construct won’t die. Mrs. Clinton tries to infuse the familiar trope with the concept of inclusivity. Mr. Trump just trots out the same old wooden metaphor. | It’s a country, not a book. But this speechmaking construct won’t die. Mrs. Clinton tries to infuse the familiar trope with the concept of inclusivity. Mr. Trump just trots out the same old wooden metaphor. |
| _____ | _____ |
| TRUMP: This is not a testament to me, but a testament to all of the people who believed real change ... | TRUMP: This is not a testament to me, but a testament to all of the people who believed real change ... |
| CLINTON: Tonight’s victory is not about one person ... So we all owe so much to those who came before and tonight belongs to all of you. | CLINTON: Tonight’s victory is not about one person ... So we all owe so much to those who came before and tonight belongs to all of you. |
| It’s not really about me, it’s about you! But let’s be honest: it’s really about them. This age-old device is a clever way to claim a mandate without sounding self-aggrandizing. Mr. Trump makes the most direct claim of humility. Mrs. Clinton makes a richer historical reference to previous barrier breakers. | It’s not really about me, it’s about you! But let’s be honest: it’s really about them. This age-old device is a clever way to claim a mandate without sounding self-aggrandizing. Mr. Trump makes the most direct claim of humility. Mrs. Clinton makes a richer historical reference to previous barrier breakers. |
| _____ | _____ |
| TRUMP: And our country will never, ever back down. | TRUMP: And our country will never, ever back down. |
| CLINTON: Our history has moved in that direction, thanks to generations of Americans who refuse to give up or back down. | CLINTON: Our history has moved in that direction, thanks to generations of Americans who refuse to give up or back down. |
| There’s no backing down from this bromide. | There’s no backing down from this bromide. |
| _____ | _____ |
| TRUMP: I’ve traveled to many of our states and seen the suffering in people’s eyes. | TRUMP: I’ve traveled to many of our states and seen the suffering in people’s eyes. |
| CLINTON: And I learned about those persistent problems and the unfinished promise of America that you’re living with. | CLINTON: And I learned about those persistent problems and the unfinished promise of America that you’re living with. |
| Ever since Bill Clinton found the most economical way to say it in 1992, speechwriters have striven to complicate the sentiment: “I feel your pain.” | Ever since Bill Clinton found the most economical way to say it in 1992, speechwriters have striven to complicate the sentiment: “I feel your pain.” |
| _____ | _____ |
| TRUMP: This election isn’t about Republican or Democrat, it’s about who runs the country. The special interests or the people. | TRUMP: This election isn’t about Republican or Democrat, it’s about who runs the country. The special interests or the people. |
| CLINTON: We want a government that listens to the people, not the power brokers ... | CLINTON: We want a government that listens to the people, not the power brokers ... |
| Everyone is a populist in 2016, even residents of Fifth Avenue and Chappaqua, N.Y. | Everyone is a populist in 2016, even residents of Fifth Avenue and Chappaqua, N.Y. |
| _____ | _____ |
| TRUMP: Our campaign received more primary votes than any G.O.P. campaign in history. | TRUMP: Our campaign received more primary votes than any G.O.P. campaign in history. |
| CLINTON: The first time in our nation’s history that a woman will be a major party’s nominee. | CLINTON: The first time in our nation’s history that a woman will be a major party’s nominee. |
| Everyone wants to make history. Mrs. Clinton’s breakthrough carries greater weight, but Mr. Trump — not to be outdone — tosses in his own milestone. | Everyone wants to make history. Mrs. Clinton’s breakthrough carries greater weight, but Mr. Trump — not to be outdone — tosses in his own milestone. |
| _____ | _____ |
| TRUMP: To those who voted for someone else, in either party, I’ll work hard to earn your support. | TRUMP: To those who voted for someone else, in either party, I’ll work hard to earn your support. |
| CLINTON: But whether you supported me or Senator Sanders or one of the Republicans, we all need to keep working toward a better, stronger America. | CLINTON: But whether you supported me or Senator Sanders or one of the Republicans, we all need to keep working toward a better, stronger America. |
| The olive branch. Both extend it to their skeptics, without much creativity. | The olive branch. Both extend it to their skeptics, without much creativity. |
| _____ | _____ |
| TRUMP: I’m going to fight for you, the American people. I’m going to be your champion. I am going to be America’s champion. | TRUMP: I’m going to fight for you, the American people. I’m going to be your champion. I am going to be America’s champion. |
| CLINTON: I hear you. I see you. And as your president, I will always have your back. | CLINTON: I hear you. I see you. And as your president, I will always have your back. |
| Two approaches to the same trite message. Mr. Trump, ever the pugilist, deploys a slightly more combative construction — “fight for you.” Mrs. Clinton takes a gentler and more supportive approach: “I will have your back.” | Two approaches to the same trite message. Mr. Trump, ever the pugilist, deploys a slightly more combative construction — “fight for you.” Mrs. Clinton takes a gentler and more supportive approach: “I will have your back.” |
| _____ | _____ |
| TRUMP: The beauty of America is that it brings us all together. | TRUMP: The beauty of America is that it brings us all together. |
| CLINTON: Because we are stronger together. | CLINTON: Because we are stronger together. |
| Let’s say it together, folks: These campaigns need a thesaurus. | Let’s say it together, folks: These campaigns need a thesaurus. |
| _____ | |
| (Want to watch the full speeches? Here’s Mrs. Clinton and Mr. Trump.) |