Melania Trump's Upcoming Memoir Has Everyone Shouting The Same Criticism

Back in late 2020, it was rumored Melania Trump intended to write a memoir. At the time, one of Melania's former advisors, Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, had published a bestselling book about the then-first lady, "Melania and Me." Melania and Winston Wolkoff's feud played out on the page, and Melania was reportedly seeking to take control of her own narrative. Now it appears Melania was indeed working on a book behind the scenes. Her memoir "Melania" is set to debut in fall 2024, and it's already available for preorder on her website, with prices that range from $40 – $150.

On X (formerly Twitter), the most predominant criticism is that the book is a cash grab. "Does she expect anyone to buy and read it?" inquired one user. "Grift from a grifter." Another escalated the accusations further, writing, "Plagiarized Grifting." The monetary value of Melania's memoir has been under consideration since the early rumors, when an anonymous source commented that it would be an economic opportunity for then-first lady. It's currently unknown how much money Melania has received for the project. 

Melania's office has characterized the book as "a powerful and inspiring story of a woman who has carved her own path, overcome adversity and defined personal excellence" (via ABC News). However, one X user sarcastically transformed the tagline to "inspiring story about a woman who hate[s] her husband and wants to spend as little time with him as possible," referencing Melania's frequent absences from the campaign trail.

Many first ladies have written memoirs, including Laura Bush, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Rosalynn Carter. However, in the case of Melania Trump's eponymous memoir, her book is drawing unfavorable comparisons to one memoir in particular: Michelle Obama's "Becoming." "I'm surprised she didn't call it, 'Becoming Melania Trump,'" joked one commenter on X (formerly Twitter). Another user dredged up accusations that Melania had plagiarized Michelle's speeches in the past.

While this individual alluded to more than one instance of copying, there was only one incident, which occurred during the 2016 Republican National Convention. At the time, it was noted that Melania's speech shared common phrases with a 2008 speech belonging to Michelle. While Melania asserted she authored her remarks, one of her staff members, Meredith McIver, came forward and owned up to the transgression. "A person [Melania] has always liked is Michelle Obama," McIver explained to The Washington Post. "She read me some passages from Mrs. Obama's speech as examples. I wrote them down and later included some of the phrasing in the draft that ultimately became the final speech."

In the case of Melania's forthcoming memoir, it's unclear if she penned it on her own. If she did employ a ghostwriter, however, she'd also be following in Michelle's footsteps. Barack Obama intimated that Michelle had assistance with the book, and in the acknowledgements of "Becoming," she credits writers Sara Corbett and Tyler Lechtenberg as part of her "gifted team of collaborators."