Night two of the DNC brought more speeches from the Obamas, Jack Schlossberg, and Doug Emhoff. But the night’s lineup also featured a more unexpected speaker: Trump’s White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham. Formerly one of Trump’s staunchest allies, Grisham worked for the Trump administration for nearly the entire four years of his presidency. In addition to serving as White House press secretary, she held roles as White House communications director and Melania Trump’s chief of staff and press secretary.
But now, she says, Kamala Harris has her vote. She began her DNC speech by highlighting her former closeness with the Trump family, saying, “I wasn’t just a Trump supporter; I was a true believer. I was one of his closest advisers. The Trump family became my family; I spent Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s all at Mar-a-Lago.” She then spoke about becoming disillusioned by Donald Trump’s behavior in private, claiming that he called his supporters “basement dwellers” behind closed doors and that she resigned on January 6 after Melania refused to make a statement condemning the violence during the insurrection. “I couldn’t be part of the insanity any longer,” she said.
Grisham also emphasized Trump’s well-known strategy of outright lying to the public. “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.’ But it does matter.” Addressing criticism that she never held a press briefing during her time as press secretary, she said, “When I was press secretary, I got skewered for never holding a White House briefing. It’s because unlike my boss, I never wanted to stand at that podium and lie.” (It’s worth noting that Grisham did often speak to conservative outlets on Trump’s behalf; Fox News interviewed her several times.)
She then told the crowd that she was speaking at the DNC because she values her country more than her party, concluding with an endorsement of Kamala Harris: “Kamala Harris tells the truth, she respects the American people, and she has my vote.”
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