What Was Stephanie Grisham's Relationship With Melania Trump Really Like?

Stephanie Grisham was hired in 2015 to work for former President Donald Trump's presidential campaign as a press liaison. CNN reported that Grisham joined Trump's White House staff as deputy press secretary, then became a member of then-first lady Melania Trump's staff in 2017. 

Grisham worked as Melania's communications director, and CNN called her the first lady's "most prominent staffer." Grisham fiercely defended and protected the first lady; she was called "the enforcer" by The Washington Post in 2018. Grisham became known for her stinging responses to critics of Melania. Grisham was promoted to White House press secretary in 2019, making modern history for never holding a press briefing.

Grisham returned to the East Wing in 2020 as Melania's chief of staff. Known as a close confidant of the first lady, Grisham surprised insiders by writing a tell-all book, "I'll Take Your Questions Now: What I Saw at the Trump White House." The book has dominated the news for its anecdotes about the Trump White House. So, what was Grisham's relationship with Melania really like?

Stephanie Grisham's friendship with Melania Trump apparently wasn't as close as she thought it was. Grisham told Insider that the former first lady "completely cut [her] off" after she resigned. In an interview published October 8, the former press secretary told Insider that she "naively" thought she and Melania were friends. She revealed to the outlet, "It wasn't easy for me after I resigned on January 6 because she completely cut me off." Not only has Melania dropped her friend, but she's also blasted Grisham's character.

In an October 4 statement, the former first lady made a statement: "The author is desperately trying to rehabilitate her tarnished reputation by manipulating and distorting the truth about Mrs. Trump. Ms. Grisham is a deceitful and troubled individual who doesn't deserve anyone's trust." That's quite a change for Grisham, who was once part of Melania's inner circle. In her Insider interview, Grisham said, "I understand that she's upset with me. I expected her to be upset with me. I did put some good stuff in the book. So it's funny because it's like, well, am I lying about everything, or am I lying only about the bad stuff?"

The former first lady isn't the only person criticizing Grisham for her book. Melania's ex-BFF Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, author of a different book about Melania, called Grisham a "destroyer" in an October 9 Air Mail essay.