Close Melania Trump aide Stephanie Grisham is writing a tell-all book digging up “surprising new scandals” in the Trump world, set to be released next month.
Grisham served as a fierce press secretary and chief of staff for the First Lady after serving as White House press secretary and communications director for the president. Notably, as Trump’s press secretary, Grisham never gave a briefing to the media.
The “top-secret” memoir, “I’ll Take Your Questions Now: What I Saw at the Trump White House,” will be published on October 5 by Harper Collins.
A publishing source told Axios that Grisham will reveal “surprising new scandals.”
“When I heard this, all I could think about was Stephanie surrounded by a lake of gasoline, striking a match with a grin on her face,” a former colleague told the news outlet.
“There isn’t enough water on earth to contain the fire she could set to all of Trump world, including parts like the first lady’s orbit, which not many people are in a position to illuminate,” the source added. “It’s hard to articulate how much anxiety this is going to cause.”
“Grisham knows where all the bodies are buried because she buried a lot of them herself,” a source from the publishing world added. Grisham “has receipts … she was a press person and it was her job to make sure she knew what was happening.”
Axios emphasized that Mrs. Trump “guarded her privacy intensely and trusted almost nobody during her time as first lady. Grisham, as her chief of staff, was one of the very few allowed into her inner sanctum.” The aide also spent time with the Trumps in the residence.
POLITICO on Monday reported on apparent content from the book:
At 1:25 p.m. on Jan. 6, soon after rioters had broken through barricades outside of the Capitol, MELANIA TRUMP received a text message from her then-chief of staff, STEPHANIE GRISHAM.
“Do you want to tweet that peaceful protests are the right of every American, but there is no place for lawlessness and violence?” Grisham asked the first lady.
A minute later, Melania replied with a one-word answer: “No.” At that moment, she was at the White House preparing for a photo shoot of a rug she had selected, according to exclusive excerpts of Grisham’s forthcoming book, “I’ll Take Your Questions Now: What I Saw in The Trump White House,” obtained by POLITICO.
Grisham, a years-long Trump loyalist who resigned within hours of that text exchange, also writes that she asked Melania a couple times whether she should reach out to JILL BIDEN during the transition to set up the traditional inauguration tea. But instead of setting up the meeting, Melania told her that they should “see what the West Wing does.” The reason, according to Grisham: Melania, like her husband, believed the election was illegitimate.
Notably, Mrs. Trump issued a statement days following the breach at the U.S. Capitol to condemn violence.
“I am disappointed and disheartened with what happened last week,” the statement said in part. “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. This time is solely about healing our country and its citizens. It should not be used for personal gain.”
“Our Nation must heal in a civil manner,” the statement added. “Make no mistake about it, I absolutely condemn the violence that has occurred on our Nation’s Capitol. Violence is never acceptable.”
“As an American, I am proud of our freedom to express our viewpoints without persecution,” her statement continued. “It is one of the paramount ideals which America is fundamentally built on. Many have made the ultimate sacrifice to protect that right. With that in mind, I would like to call on the citizens of this country to take a moment, pause, and look at things from all perspectives.”
“I implore people to stop the violence, never make assumptions based on the color of a person’s skin or use differing political ideologies as a basis for aggression and viciousness. We must listen to one another, focus on what unites us, and rise above what divides us,” Mrs. Trump concluded.