Stephanie Grisham, Trump’s former White House press secretary, came out strongly against former President Donald Trump on Tuesday night at the Democratic National Convention.
Grisham started her short speech by saying that not only was she a Trump supporter, she was also a “true believer” and one of his “closest advisers,” and that Trump’s family was her family.
“I saw him when the cameras were off,” Grisham said. “Behind closed doors, Trump mocks his supporters. He calls them basement-dwellers.”
She said that one time while Trump was at a hospital visit to see dying patients, he was upset that the camera wasn’t on him.
“He has no empathy, no morals and no fidelity to the truth,” she said. “He used to tell me, ‘It doesn’t matter what you say, Stephanie, say it enough and people will believe you.’”
An apparent screenshot of text messages between Grisham and first lady Melania Trump appeared on a large screen as Grisham spoke. The messages show Grisham asking Melania Trump on Jan. 6, 2021, if the first lady wanted to tweet that there is no place for lawlessness and violence.
Grisham said Melania Trump simply responded, “No.”
Grisham said she was the first senior staffer to resign that day, as the DNC crowd applauded.
“I couldn’t be a part of the insanity any longer,” she said.
Grisham never held a typical White House briefing while Trump’s press secretary. On Tuesday, she said that she’d “never wanted to stand at the podium and lie,” unlike Trump.
“Now here I am behind a podium advocating for a Democrat and that’s because I love my country more than my party,” she said. “Kamala Harris tells the truth, she respects the American people, and she has my vote.”
Grisham told CNN Tuesday night that it had been “surreal” to speak onstage at the DNC.
“But I had to tell the truth. It was terrifying, I’m not going to lie,” Grisham said.
Last week, while on CNN, Grisham offered her insight on Trump’s campaign. Though Trump’s team has reportedly advised him to hold smaller events and mini-rallies, she said she doubts the candidate will listen to them.
“They want him to be a fake version of himself,” Grisham said. “Donald Trump is a bombastic narcissist, and he loves attention.”