--- title: Meredith McIver: What to Know About Donald Trump's Aide description: Meredith McIver took the blame for the plagiarized speech Melania Trump delivered at the Republican National Convention. Here's what we know canonical: https://time.com/4415378/meredith-mciver-donald-trump-speech/ author: Melissa Chan article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-07-20T18:44:56.000Z article:modified_time: 2023-12-13T05:47:01.000Z article:section: Politics og:title: Who Is Melania Trump's Speech Writer Meredith McIver? og:description: She took responsibility for the plagiarized speech Melania Trump delivered at the RNC og:url: https://time.com/4415378/meredith-mciver-donald-trump-speech/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltabbfc5698ced710c/69889ccba988ca643a6b8b24/melania-trump1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 4862 og:image:height: 2735 og:image:alt: Republican National Convention: Day One og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Who Is Melania Trump's Speech Writer Meredith McIver? twitter:description: She took responsibility for the plagiarized speech Melania Trump delivered at the RNC twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltabbfc5698ced710c/69889ccba988ca643a6b8b24/melania-trump1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Who Is Melania Trump's Speech Writer Meredith McIver? > 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=30c72a98-5802-4bd7-8b5c-4e9065fa2d77&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 [Melissa Chan](https://time.com/author/melissa-chan/)  ## Melissa Chan Updated: Dec 13, 2023 5:47 AM UTCPublished: Jul 20, 2016 6:44 PM UTC  by [Melissa Chan](https://time.com/author/melissa-chan/)  ## Melissa Chan Updated: Dec 13, 2023 5:47 AM UTCPublished: Jul 20, 2016 6:44 PM UTC A writer for the Trump Organization on Wednesday [took the blame for the plagiarized speech](http://time.com/4415101/melania-trump-speech-meredith-mciver-rnc/) Melania Trump delivered at the Republican National Convention and offered to resign over the error. Meredith McIver apologized for the “[hysteria](http://time.com/4412175/republican-convention-melania-trump-michelle-obama/?iid=sr-link1)” she indirectly sparked after the speech egregiously borrowed heavily from First Lady Michelle Obama’s 2008 convention speech and marred Donald Trump’s campaign since Monday. In a [statement](https://assets.donaldjtrump.com/MeredithStatement.pdf), McIver said she jotted down some passages from Obama’s speech after Melania Trump read them out loud on the telephone as examples for inspiration. She said she ended up including those passages in her final draft without checking the First Lady’s speeches. “This was my mistake, and I feel terrible for the chaos I have caused Melania and the Trumps, as well as to Mrs. Obama,” McIver said. “No harm was meant.” **Here’s what we know about Meredith McIver:** **She is a close ally to the Trump family** McIver describes herself in the issued statement as an “in-house staff writer” at the Trump Organization and also a “longtime friend and admirer” of the Trump family. She has been working for the Trump Organization since September 2001, according to a [Speakerpedia](https://speakerpedia.com/speakers/meredith-mciver) biography. McIver said in her statement that she is “honored” to work for the Trumps. **She has written books with Donald Trump** McIver co-authored [several books](https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb%5Fsb%5Fnoss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=Meredith+McIver&rh=n%3A283155%2Ck%3AMeredith+McIver) with the reality TV star and real estate mogul, including the national best-seller _Trump: How to Get Rich_, which purports to reveal the secrets of his success learned from _The Apprentice._ She also helped Trump write his 2010 book _Think Like a Champion_, in which he shares his strategies and future goals. **She is a former dancer** McIver is a former ballet dancer and English major, the [New York _Times_](http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/20/us/politics/melania-trump-convention-speech.html) reports. She began training at George Balanchine’s School of American Ballet in New York City when she was a teenager, according to her Speakerpedia biography. McIver attended the School of American Ballet in the summers of 1965 and 1966, the dance school confirmed Wednesday. She then enrolled as a full-time student in their advanced division from 1966 to 1970\. Before that, she worked on Wall Street, the biography says. **She is a California native** McIver is from San Jose, California. She graduated with honors from the University of Utah in 1976, according to Annalisa Purser, a spokeswoman for the school. McIver has since worked as an editor and writer. **She was forgiven for the plagiarism** McIver said she offered to resign after the plagiarized speech sparked a firestorm in the media and embarrassed the campaign. However, she said the Trumps rejected her resignation. McIver said Donald Trump told her that “people make innocent mistakes and that we learn and grow from these experiences.” She did not immediately return a call for comment. _With reporting by Melissa August_ ## Transcript Barack and I were raised with so many of the same values, like you work hard for what you want in life. [ APPLAUSE ] From a young age, my parents impressed on me the values that you work hard for what you want in life. That your word is your bond. That you do what you say you're going to do. That your word is your bond. And you do what you say. And keep your promise. That you treat people with dignity and respect. Even if you don't know them. And even if you don't agree with them. That you treat people with respect. They thought and showed me values and morals in their daily life. [ APPLAUSE ] And Barak and I set out to build lives guided by these values, and pass them on to the next generation. Because- That is the lesson that I continue to pass along to ou sons And we need to pass those lessons on to the many generations to follow. Generation because we want our children and all children in this nation to know that the only limits of the height of your achievements is the reach of your dreams and your willingness to work hard for them. Because we want our children in this nation to know that the only limit to your achievements is the strength of your dreams and your willingness to work for them. 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