Melania Trump speaks at the Republican National Convention. (Photo: J. Scott Applewhite/AP)
After two days of refusing to admit fault, Donald Trump’s campaign released a letter on Wednesday from a writer who said she offered her resignation for the firestorm caused by Melania Trump’s Republican National Convention speech.
The writer, Meredith McIver, said that she had inadvertently lifted passages from Michelle Obama’s speech while working with Melania Trump on a draft of the remarks.
“We discussed many people who inspired her and messages she wanted to share with the American people,” McIver wrote. “A person she has always liked is Michelle Obama. Over the phone, she read me some passages from Mrs. Obama’s speech as examples. … I did not check Mrs. Obama’s draft speeches.”
McIver's statement (Trump campaign)
McIver’s statement. (Trump campaign)
“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 wrote. “No harm was meant.”
According to McIver, she offered her resignation to the Trump family on Tuesday, but it was rejected.
“Mr. Trump told me that people make innocent mistakes and that we learn and grow from these experiences,” she wrote.
McIver identified herself as an “in-house staff writer at the Trump Organization,” and the letter released was on Trump’s corporate letterhead instead of his campaign’s. According to the New York Times, McIver is a “former ballet dancer and English major who has worked on some of Mr. Trump’s books, including ‘Think Like a Billionaire.’ ”
“I apologize for the confusion and hysteria my mistake has caused,” McIver wrote. “I personally admire the way Mr. Trump has handled this situation and I am grateful for his understanding.”