Stephanie Grisham, a former White House press secretary under Donald Trump, delivered a stinging rebuke of the former president Tuesday at the Democratic National Convention, saying during a primetime speech that he has “no empathy, no morals, and no fidelity to the truth.”
Grisham told viewers that while she was once a “true believer” in the then-president, it was Trump’s behavior “when the cameras were off” that changed her mind.
“Behind closed doors, Trump mocks his supporters. He calls them ‘basement dwellers,’” Grisham said during her brief yet to-the-point remarks. “On a hospital visit one time when people were dying in the ICU, he was mad that the cameras were not watching him. He has no empathy, no morals, and no fidelity to the truth.”
ADVERTISEMENT
“He used to tell me: ‘It doesn’t matter what you say, Stephanie. Say it enough, and people will believe you,’” continued Grisham. “But it does matter. What you say matters. And what you don’t say matters.”
Grisham then described one revealing interaction with Trump’s wife, Melania, on Jan. 6, 2021, as Trump’s supporters were breaking into the Capitol.
White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham (L) listens to U.S. President Donald Trump talk to reporters before he boards Marine One and departing the White House November 08, 2019 in Washington, DC.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images“I asked Melania if we could at least tweet that, ‘While peaceful protest is the right of every American, there’s no place for lawlessness or violence,’” said Grisham, who at that point in time was the first lady’s chief of staff and press secretary. “She replied with one word: ‘No.’”
Grisham, who resigned later that day, explained why she never held a press briefing in the nine months she was White House press secretary.
“Unlike my boss, I never wanted to stand at that podium and lie. Now here I am, behind a podium, advocating for a Democrat,” she said. “And that’s because I love my country more than my party. Kamala Harris tells the truth. She respects the American people. And she has my vote.”
Grisham isn’t the only former Trump White House staffer to have a speaking slot at the DNC. Former national security official Olivia Troye is scheduled to deliver remarks later this week.
Former GOP congressman Adam Kinzinger will also throw his support behind Vice President Kamala Harris in Chicago. Before President Joe Biden dropped out of the race, Biden’s campaign hired Kinzinger’s former chief of staff to help with outreach to disaffected Republican voters.
