Meet Stephanie Grisham, the former White House official who turned on Melania and Donald Trump – the once staunch Republican is supporting Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris

Sep 1, 2024

Former Donald Trump ally Stephanie Grisham was a surprise speaker at the Democratic National Convention. Photo: @KingTriZi, @KamalaHQ/X

US presidential election 2024

Known for her loyalty to the Trumps, often even holidaying with them, Grisham was the ex-president’s first senior staff member to resign after the 2021 Capitol attacks

Her memoir, I’ll Take Your Questions Now: What I Saw at the Trump White House, alleges a culture of fear under Trump, and his love of Russian president Vladimir Putin

You might remember Donald Trump’s White House press secretary – the one who was famous for never holding a televised briefing with reporters. So when Stephanie Grisham took to the stage at the Democratic National Convention in August, her switch in sides shocked some Republicans. Not only did the 48-year-old offer her vote to Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris, she also slammed Trump, offering cutting insights into what it was like to work for him and his family.

Stephanie Grisham was once a fierce support of Donald Trump. Photo: @nycjim/X

As Harris and Trump face off ahead of the November 2024 election, it is influential voices like Grisham’s that stick out. Once a fierce Trump ally, her U-turn has made her a political sensation. Meet the woman who flipped on the Trumps.

What happened?

On day two of the Democratic National Convention held in Chicago, Illinois, Grisham dominated headlines for her speech where she detailed what it was like working under Trump. Grisham spoke on August 20, the same night that former president Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama addressed the crowds.

Grisham’s comments on her tenure as White House press secretary under the Trump administration between July 2019 and April 2020 went viral as she lambasted her previous boss. “He used to tell me, ‘It doesn’t matter what you say, Stephanie, say it enough, and people will believe you.’” She also said that Trump used to call his supporters “basement dwellers”, per The Guardian.

The once-staunch Republican offered her support to Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris. “Kamala Harris tells the truth. She respects the American people, and she has my vote,” per NBC.

She was a total Trump gal

In 2012, Grisham was part of the presidential campaign for Mitt Romney. She joined the Trump campaign in 2015 as an advance staff member and, per Politico, became deputy press secretary when he won the 2016 US election. She later became a communications official for Trump and his wife Melania, eventually becoming Melania’s chief of staff. During her tenure as White House press secretary between July 2019 and April 2020 Grisham gained infamy after failing to hold a single televised press conference in just under a year.

Stephanie Grisham even holidayed with the Trump family. Photo: @PaulRudnickNY/X

Per NBC, she was known for her loyalty to Trump and often spent holidays with the Trump family. Yet she was the first senior Trump staff member to resign after the attacks on the Capitol on January 6, 2021.