Ex-White House Press Sec Grisham Says It Was a Mistake to Work For Trump
13:26 GMT 04.10.2021 (Updated: 17:47 GMT 04.10.2021)
© AFP 2023 / SAUL LOEB
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Stephanie Grisham, who is not only one of the Trump-era White House press secretaries but also a former chief of staff to Melania Trump, has penned a book about her time in the 45th US president's administration, titled "I'll Take Your Questions Now". It is to hit bookstores on 5 October.
Former White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham delivered her first comments about her time in the White House, speaking on "Good Morning America" on Tuesday.
When asked whether it was a mistake to work for ex-US President Donald Trump, Grisham answered "yes". After the host, George Stephanopoulos, wondered why she did it, she said that at the beginning she was impressed with how Trump appeared to "give [a] voice" to people who felt "forgotten", but when his team entered the White House, it was rather about "surviving" there and not "serving the country".
When talking to Grisham about how she appeared to be a unique press secretary who held no briefings during her tenure, Stephanopoulos pressured Grisham on whether she felt like she was "enabling" the culture of the Trump administration's "casual dishonesty".
"Yes, I was", she said. "And I've reflected on that, and I regret that. Especially now watching him, and so many people, push the false election narrative, I now want to in whatever way I can educate the public about the behaviours within the White House because it does look like he is going to run in 2024".
She also voiced concerns that should Trump run and win, his policies will be pretty "draconian" since he would not have to worry about re-election.
EXCLUSIVE: Stephanie Grisham breaks her silence about what she saw inside the Trump White House.
— Good Morning America (@GMA) October 4, 2021
When asked by @GStephanopoulos if it was a mistake to work for President Trump, Grisham says “yes." https://t.co/o3FCyKjxtw pic.twitter.com/KX2BwzR6BU
Grisham did not only talk about Trump during her appearance. When asked to comment on Melania Trump's claims that her book, "I'll Take Your Questions Now", is an attempt "to rehabilitate her tarnished reputation by manipulating and distorting the truth about Mrs Trump", Grisham said she "expected that".
"I expect more", she admitted. "This is right out of their playbook. When they don't like the message, they're gonna destroy the messenger. I know, I was part of doing that sometimes".
Grisham also noted that Melania in her statement did not fully deny the contents of the book. The former press secretary said she expects several lawsuits from the ex-first lady.
Although the book by Grisham about her memories from the Trump-era White House will only be released on Tuesday, excerpts from it have been circulating in the media for weeks, with the former press secretary revealing some sneak-peeks behind the scenes of Trump's meetings and relations with foreign leaders, along with shedding light on some details about the ex-first lady.
