--- title: Melania Trump: Staffer Takes Responsibility for Speech description: A staffer working for the Trump Organization has apologized and offered to resign over Melania Trump's plagiarized speech canonical: https://time.com/4415101/melania-trump-speech-meredith-mciver-rnc/ author: Emma Ockerman article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-07-20T16:58:13.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-06T09:42:32.645Z article:section: Politics og:title: Trump Staffer Takes Responsibility for Melania Trump's Plagiarized Speech og:description: She offered to resign, but Trump didn't accept it og:url: https://time.com/4415101/melania-trump-speech-meredith-mciver-rnc/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltcf7f2f3d73c391b3/69889cc72dce0135019e9ed9/donald-trump-rnc-republican-national-convention-landon-nordeman-lightbox-0004.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2560 og:image:height: 1440 og:image:alt: Donald-Trump-RNC-Republican-National-Convention-Landon-Nordeman-Lightbox-0004 og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Trump Staffer Takes Responsibility for Melania Trump's Plagiarized Speech twitter:description: She offered to resign, but Trump didn't accept it twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltcf7f2f3d73c391b3/69889cc72dce0135019e9ed9/donald-trump-rnc-republican-national-convention-landon-nordeman-lightbox-0004.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Trump Staffer Takes Responsibility for Melania Trump's Plagiarized 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=92113c07-f72d-45d5-a162-8ddab0dfd91c&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Melania Trump Echoes Michelle Obama's 2008 Convention Speech [Watch (HLS stream): Melania Trump Echoes Michelle Obama's 2008 Convention Speech](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/a9mrHqjy.m3u8) (1:37)  _Published 2016-07-19. Shortly after the speech, observers on Twitter noticed that a passage Trump read about her upbringing borrowed heavily from the structure and phrasing used by Michelle Obama in her 2008 convention speech._ by [Emma Ockerman](https://time.com/author/emma-ockerman/) ## Emma Ockerman Jul 20, 2016 4:58 PM UTC Shortly after the speech, observers on Twitter noticed that a passage Trump read about her upbringing borrowed heavily from the structure and phrasing used by Michelle Obama in her 2008 convention speech. by [Emma Ockerman](https://time.com/author/emma-ockerman/) ## Emma Ockerman Jul 20, 2016 4:58 PM UTC A staffer working for the Trump Organization has apologized and offered to resign over[ Melania Trump’s plagiarized Monday night speech](http://time.com/4412175/republican-convention-melania-trump-michelle-obama/?iid=sr-link1) at the Republican National Convention. Meredith McIver, a writer for Trump, said in a letter Wednesday that Melania [had read passages from Michelle Obama’s 2008 Democratic National Convention Speech](http://time.com/4413098/melania-trump-speech/?iid=sr-link5), telling McIver over the phone that “as a person,” she had always admired the First Lady. McIver said she wrote the passages down, and failed to check them against Obama’s prior speeches for potential plagiarism. She offered her resignation Tuesday, though it was rejected by the Trump family. McIver said the GOP presidential nominee told her “people make innocent mistakes and that we learn and grow from these experiences.” > [](https://twitter.com/ZekeJMiller/status/755802081395630080) “I feel terrible for the chaos I have caused Melania and the Trumps, as well as to Mrs. Obama,” McIver said in the letter. “No harm was meant.” ## Transcript [00:00] Barack and I were raised with so many of the same [00:03] values, like you work hard for what you [00:07] want in life. [ APPLAUSE ] From a young age, my [00:10] parents impressed on me the values that you work [00:14] hard for what you want in life. That your word is your [00:18] bond. That you do what you say you're going to do. [00:20] That your word is your bond. And you do what [00:24] you say. And keep your promise. That you treat [00:27] people with dignity and respect. [00:32] Even if you don't know them. And even if you don't [00:35] agree with them. That you treat people with respect. [00:39] They thought and showed me values and morals in [00:43] their daily life. [ APPLAUSE ] And Barak and I set out to [00:47] build lives guided by these values, and pass them on [00:51] to the next generation. Because- That is the lesson [00:55] that I continue to pass along to ou sons And we need [00:59] to pass those lessons on to [01:03] the many generations to follow. Generation because we [01:06] want our children and all children in this nation to know [01:10] that the only limits of the height of your achievements [01:12] is the reach of your dreams and your willingness to [01:16] work hard for them. Because we want our children in [01:19] this nation to know that the only limit to your [01:23] achievements is the strength of your dreams and [01:27] your willingness to work for them. 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