--- title: Republican Convention: Eric Trump Says He's Not Being Helped description: Eric Trump said he had "zero" assistance writing the speech he will deliver Wednesday night at the Republican National Convention canonical: https://time.com/4414834/republican-convention-eric-trump-speech/ author: Daniel White article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-07-20T15:12:53.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-06T09:42:28.645Z article:section: Politics og:title: Eric Trump Says He's Using 'Zero' Help for His Convention Speech og:description: “I wrote every single word of my speech myself" og:url: https://time.com/4414834/republican-convention-eric-trump-speech/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltfbd290aa89414e87/69889cab196cf4325203c79d/christopher-morris-rnc-republican-national-convention-day-2-45.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 5032 og:image:height: 2831 og:image:alt: TIMEPOL RNC og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Eric Trump Says He's Using 'Zero' Help for His Convention Speech twitter:description: “I wrote every single word of my speech myself" twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltfbd290aa89414e87/69889cab196cf4325203c79d/christopher-morris-rnc-republican-national-convention-day-2-45.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Eric Trump Says He's Using 'Zero' Help for His Republican Convention Speech > Sponsored content. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=5fb20962-7ab3-4980-846d-fbff72ec35b8&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Republicans React To Melania Trump's RNC Speech [Watch (HLS stream): Republicans React To Melania Trump's RNC Speech](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/veeYS5HB.m3u8) (1:09)  _Published 2016-07-19. TIME asked Republicans at the Republican National Convention their thoughts on Melania Trump's convention speech, which many says is very similar to Michelle Obama's 2008 convention speech._ by [Daniel White](https://time.com/author/daniel-white/) ## Daniel White Jul 20, 2016 3:12 PM UTC TIME asked Republicans at the Republican National Convention their thoughts on Melania Trump's convention speech, which many says is very similar to Michelle Obama's 2008 convention speech. by [Daniel White](https://time.com/author/daniel-white/) ## Daniel White Jul 20, 2016 3:12 PM UTC Eric Trump [said he had “zero” assistance](http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/eric-trump-speechwriters-rnc-speech/story?id=40727839) writing the speech he will deliver Wednesday night at the Republican National Convention, following the fallout from his stepmother [Melania Trump’s speech](http://time.com/4412175/republican-convention-melania-trump-michelle-obama/), which included lines cribbed from Michelle Obama. “I wrote every single word of my speech myself,” Trump, 32, told ABC’s _Good Morning America_ on Wednesday. Donald Trump’s son did not comment, however, on Melania Trump’s speech, [which used phrases from Obama’s 2008 speech at the Democratic National Convention](http://time.com/4412175/republican-convention-melania-trump-michelle-obama/). He did give high praise to his older brother Donald Trump Jr., saying “the bar is high” for his own remarks after his brother’s performance. Trump said his speech will focus on the “why” of his father’s campaign.  Donald Trump Jr. speaks at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland on July 19, 2016. Christopher Morris—VII for TIME “I think sometimes when you write from the heart, and I’ll certainly deliver it from the heart, the product will be what it will be,” Trump said. “But it will be certainly sincere and full of love and full of emotion and that’s how it’s supposed to be.” ## Transcript [ BLANK_AUDIO ] Let's get to the heart of that matter. I didn't know that there was such a thing as plagiarizing a spouse's speech when you talk about their family, their dedication to one another as spouses, their positive attributes, what they bring as a father and as a grandfather. Probably whoever wrote the speech isn't working [ TALKING IN BACKGROUND ] For the trump campaign anymore. I don't put any of that on her. I think the themes of the speeches, I mean we can look at different political speeches over the years and many of them have the same themes. Of course it did sound like there was some similarities. I don't recall hearing from Mrs. Obama; s speech was anything about being proud to be an American. And I did hear that from Mrs. Trump last night. It was two lines in a very long speech, and it doesn't concern me. It doesn't bother me. The women feel that way about their husbands and their family. Quite frankly, I would expect her to say those things. Just as I would expect. Bill Clinton and Jackie Kennedy and Nancy Reagan. 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