If Melania Trump did indeed use some words from Michelle Obama's 2008 convention speech in her address Monday night, then the first lady "might like to look at the video tape to see what a really great delivery of those words was," former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said Tuesday morning.
"I thought Melania hit it out of the park with bases loaded," Gingrich, who had been in GOP presumptive nominee Donald Trump's short list of vice presidential candidates until last week, told Fox News' Bill Hemmer on the
"America's Newsroom" program.
"If they were the same words, I would argue Melania delivered them a heck of a lot better than Michelle."
Gingrich said he believed that Trump's wife delivered her speech "brilliantly," and that he thinks she set the benchmark for speeches from potential first spouses, including Bill Clinton.
"We have to decide which first spouse you would rather have, and I think she wins that one," he told Hemmer.
He further criticized the media for its focus on Melania Trump's speech and its similarities to the Obama speech.
"The media ever particularly beat up [President Barack] Obama when he clearly took words from [former Massachusetts Gov.] Deval Patrick in his speech," said Gingrich. "They never beat up Joe Biden when he took entire sections from the British Labour Party Leader."
Aside from the speech controversy, Gingrich said he predicts by the end of next week's Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, even the "Never Trump" Republican delegates will start drifting back toward Trump, as "Hillary [Clinton] is so utterly unacceptable."
Gingrich said that when he takes the stage himself on Wednesday, he will speak about "safety around the world and the real threat of Islamic terrorism, and the only person with the guts to face up to it is Donald Trump. It will portray how bad it's gone the worldwide as Barack Obama and Clinton have done nothing about the problem we face."
And on Tuesday, he lauded Trump as being very smart and hard-working.
"Look at the quality of his kids and their education and their seriousness and professionalism," said Gingrich. "He is a guy who actually gets things done. I think you compare that with the current politicians in Washington, he's head and shoulders above Obama or Hillary, and I think his instincts are better."