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Donald Trump’s Inauguration Cake Baker Explains Copied Design, Will Donate Profits to Human Rights Campaign

UPDATE January 21, 1:28 p.m.: Goldman took to Twitter on Saturday to clarify that there were no hard feelings about the miscommunication. “Remembering a fantastic cake I made is awesome and the chef that re-created it for @POTUS Trump did a fantastic job,” he tweeted. “Group hug, y’all. 🇺🇸.”

UPDATE: Buttercream Bakeshop, the company hired to create Trump’s inauguration cake, shared an Instagram post of its rendition of the cake with an explanation on Saturday, January 21. “Excited to share the cake we got to make for one of last night’s inaugural balls. While we most love creating original designs, when we are asked to replicate someone else’s work we are thrilled when it is a masterpiece like this one. @duff_goldman originally created this for Obama’s inauguration 4 years ago and this years committee commissioned us to re-create it. Best part is all the profits are being donated to @humanrightscampaign, one of our favorite charities who we have loved working with over the years. Because basic human rights are something every man, woman and child~ straight, gay or the rainbow in between~ deserve!”

Original story:

What’s going on here? Celebrity baker Duff Goldman made note of Donald Trump’s inauguration cake in a post to Instagram on Saturday, January 21, pointing out its similarities to a cake he made for Barack Obama at his 2013 inauguration.

Related: PHOTOS: Donald Trump's Inauguration Day, in Pictures

“The cake on the left is the one I made for President Obama’s inauguration 4 years ago. The one on the right is Trumps. I didn’t make it,” he captioned a side-by-side split of the two towering cakes.

Both cakes boast nine stacked tiers with a distinct red-and-white striped base, a presidential seal on the next layer up, and a light blue layer atop that boasting several silver medals. Additionally, both cakes are topped with silver stars and sparkles.

Duff Goldman
Celebrity baker Duff Goldman

In the photo on the right, President Trump, 70, saws away at the cake with the help of Vice President Mike Pence as Pence’s wife, Karen, looks on. 

Related: All the Details on Melania Trump's Inaugural Ball Dress

According to the New York Daily News, Goldman’s 2013 cake, which Obama commissioned especially from the Ace of Cakes star, featured a different flavor for every layer, including one with red velvet cake and cream cheese frosting and another with lemon-poppy and pineapple cake topped with Swiss buttercream frosting.

Donald Trump Innaguration
U.S. president Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump thank guests during the inaugural Freedom Ball.

In an interview with the Washington Post prior to Obama’s second inauguration, Goldman spoke proudly of his creation. “When you’re doing a cake like this, you know that everybody is going to be looking at it,” he said at the time. “It’s a lot of pressure. The more recognition you get for something that you do, the greater the pressure becomes, because more people are looking for a mistake. So you really gotta make sure your work is top-notch.”

Related: PHOTOS: See Melania Trump's Style Evolution, From 1999 to Today

This is not the first time that the Trumps have been accused of plagiarism. In November, first lady Melania Trump came under fire after she allegedly lifted several lines of her Republican National Convention speech from Michelle Obama’s Democratic National Convention speech from 2008.

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