Stephanie Grisham, who formerly served as press secretary to former First Lady Melania Trump, says in her new tell-all book that the Secret Service used to refer to Mrs. Trump as “Rapunzel.”
“The story of ‘Rapunzel’ is about a beautiful woman trapped in a tower, and Grisham said she assumed the former first lady got the name because she reportedly rarely left the White House,” the Daily Caller detailed, citing The Washington Post. “Because Melania reportedly rarely left the White House, agents requested the assignment of protecting her, because it allowed them more time to spend with their families, Grisham wrote, the piece noted.”
The Post received a copy of the book days before its set release date of October 5.
Mrs. Trump last month responded to news of Grisham’s tell-all book, “I’ll Take Your Questions Now: What I Saw at the Trump White House,” which promises to expose “surprising new scandals.”
“The intent behind this book is obvious. It is an attempt to redeem herself after a poor performance as press secretary, failed personal relationships, and unprofessional behavior in the White House,” Mrs. Trump’s office said in a statement.
According to Politico, Mrs. Trump’s mention of Grisham’s “failed personal relationships” appears to be a reference to her former aide’s “past relationship with former Trump aide Max Miller.”
“Citing three people familiar with the incident, Politico Magazine reported in July that the relationship ‘ended when he pushed her against a wall and slapped her in the face in his Washington apartment after she accused him of cheating on her,’” Politico noted. “He denied the allegation.”
“Through mistruth and betrayal, she seeks to gain relevance and money at the expense of Mrs. Trump,” the former First Lady’s office concluded the statement.
Grisham also alleges in the book that White House staff lied to Trump so Air Force One could be used to transport George H.W. Bush’s casket.
“When former President George H. W. Bush died in 2018, White House staff wanted to follow tradition to allow the Bush family use of Air Force One. But, according to Grisham, they hid that plan from Trump. ‘We knew he wouldn’t be OK with that, even for a brief trip,’ Grisham writes. ‘Dead bodies, death, sickness—those things really seemed to creep him out.’ In the end, the plane was loaned to the Bushes for the funeral,” The Daily Beast reported.
Grisham served as press secretary and chief of staff for Mrs. Trump after serving as White House press secretary and communications director for the president. Notably, Grisham never gave a briefing to the media as press secretary for POTUS. She resigned from the White House on January 6 during the breach on the U.S. Capitol.
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