--- description: Meredith McIver took the blame for the plagiarized speech Melania Trump delivered at the Republican National Convention. Here's what we know title: Who Is Melania Trump's Speech Writer Meredith McIver? image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltabbfc5698ced710c/69889ccba988ca643a6b8b24/melania-trump1.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Politics](/section/politics/) ## Politics Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [2016 Election](/tag/2016-election/) ## 2016 Election Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Who Is Melania Trump's Speech Writer Meredith McIver?  by [Melissa Chan](/author/melissa-chan/)  ## Melissa Chan Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Updated: Dec 13, 2023 5:47 AM CUTPublished: Jul 20, 2016 6:44 PM CUT  Melania Trump delivers a speech on the first day of the Republican National Convention on July 18, 2016. Melania Trump delivers a speech on the first day of the Republican National Convention on July 18, 2016.Chip Somodevilla—Getty Images  by [Melissa Chan](/author/melissa-chan/)  ## Melissa Chan Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Updated: Dec 13, 2023 5:47 AM CUTPublished: Jul 20, 2016 6:44 PM CUT 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/ "undefined") 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 "undefined")” 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 "undefined"), 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 "undefined") 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 "undefined") 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 "undefined") 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_ ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4415378/meredith-mciver-donald-trump-speech/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4415378/meredith-mciver-donald-trump-speech/"},"headline":"Who Is Melania Trump's Speech Writer Meredith McIver?","datePublished":"2016-07-20T18:44:56.000Z","dateModified":"2023-12-13T05:47:01.000Z","description":"She took responsibility for the plagiarized speech Melania Trump delivered at the RNC","url":"https://time.com/4415378/meredith-mciver-donald-trump-speech/","keywords":["2016 Election","2016 Election topic"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltabbfc5698ced710c/69889ccba988ca643a6b8b24/melania-trump1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Melissa Chan","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/melissa-chan/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltabbfc5698ced710c/69889ccba988ca643a6b8b24/melania-trump1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Republican National Convention: Day One","caption":"Republican National Convention: Day One","creditText":"Chip Somodevilla—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/2016-election/","name":"2016 Election"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4415378/meredith-mciver-donald-trump-speech/","name":"Who Is Melania Trump's Speech Writer Meredith McIver?"}}]}] ```