About a week after Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ resignation, first lady Melania Trump has announced that her spokeswoman, Stephanie Grisham, will be the White House press secretary.
In her announcement of the news on Twitter, Trump also said that Grisham will also take an additional role as White House communications director. The New York Times reported that that position has been vacant since Bill Shrine left the post in March. CNBC reported that it is not clear if she will be leading communications for President Donald Trump and Melania Trump at once.
Here are three things to know about Grisham:
She’s been with Trump’s team the longest of most in the White House
Along with Trump’s social media director and assistant Dan Scavino, Grisham has been with the Trumps since the 2015 campaign. Her first official press secretary duties will start with a trip with the president to the G20 in Osaka, Japan, then to Seoul.
She’s critical of the media for its coverage of Melania Trump’s fashion instead of her work
In 2018, Grisham wrote an op-ed on CNN in which she criticized the network's coverage of the first lady. Much of her issue was with the focus of the media, like The New York Times and Vanity Fair.
“Reports focus on the trivial and superficial, rather than the deeper issues facing our country that the she has tirelessly worked to address,” she wrote. “Last year, when Mrs. Trump traveled to Texas to comfort and support the people affected by hurricanes, the media focused on the pair of heels she wore to board Air Force One.”
Related: Stephanie Grisham named White House press secretary
Days before publishing the op-ed, Grisham addressed Trump’s controversial “I really don’t care. Do u?” coat, which she wore June 21, 2018, while visiting migrant children in Texas.
"Today's visit w the children in Texas impacted FLOTUS greatly," Grisham tweeted. "If media would spend their time & energy on her actions & efforts to help kids - rather than speculate & focus on her wardrobe - we could get so much accomplished on behalf of children."
Credit: Jacquelyn Martin
Credit: Jacquelyn Martin
Although Grisham also said there was "no hidden message" in the jacket, Melania Trump said in an October 2018 ABC News interview that the coat was meant as a statement to the left-wing media that criticized her.
She’s defended Melania Trump against Donald Trump’s first wife, Ivana Trump
When Ivana Trump, Donald Trump’s first wife, referred to herself as the first lady and said she has a “direct number” to the White House while promoting her memoir, “Raising Trump,” Grisham issued a statement calling her remarks “noise.”
“Mrs. Trump has made the White House a home for Barron and the President. She loves living in Washington, DC, and is honored by her role as first lady of the United States,” Grisham said in the statement. “She plans to use her title and role to help children, not sell books. There is clearly no substance to this statement from an ex, this is unfortunately only attention-seeking and self-serving noise.”
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