Melania Trump’s former aide Stephanie Grisham is reportedly preparing to bash the former first lady in her upcoming book as “defeated” and “detached”, according to an excerpt obtained by Politico.
Grisham, who left the White House in January 2021 in the wake of the Capitol riot, reveals in the book that she'd texted Melania Trump on 6 January when protesters were storming the building.
“Do you want to tweet that peaceful protests are the right of every American, but there is no place for lawlessness and violence?” her alleged text message was.
Mrs. Trump reportedly replied “no”. According to Grisham, the then-first lady was preparing for a photo shoot of a new rug in the White House at the moment of the insurrection.
The former official said that she now sees Melania Trump as “the doomed French queen. Dismissive. Defeated. Detached.”
Grisham resigned from the post hours after the alleged exchange took place despite being a long-time Trump supporter. The former press aide said in the book that she was “shocked” to learn that Melania Trump shared her husband’s views that the results of 2020 election were illegitimate. The former first lady apparently told Grisham at one point that “something bad happened” during the November vote.
It took Melania Trump nearly a week to condemn the Capitol storming that happened as the Congress was about to confirm Joe Biden’s win in 2020 presidential election. The former first lady tweeted on 11 January that she was “disappointed and disheartened with what happened”.
"I find it shameful that surrounding these tragic events there has been salacious gossip, unwarranted personal attacks, and false misleading accusations on me — from people who are looking to be relevant and have an agenda," Trump wrote, apparently referring to her personal critics at that time. "This time is solely about healing our country and its citizens. It should not be used for personal gain."
The office of Melania Trump said in a statement to Politico that Grisham was just trying “redeem herself” with a book “after a poor performance as press secretary, failed personal relationships, and unprofessional behaviour in the White House.”
“Through mistruth and betrayal, she seeks to gain relevance and money at the expense of Mrs. Trump,” Melania Trump’s spokespeople said.