by Donald Trump’s former White House press secretary took the stage at the Democratic National Convention on Tuesday night and shared the brutal one-word message from Melania following the January 6 outburst that led to her resignation.
Stephanie Grisham, who held the role from July 2019 to April 2020 before becoming the first lady’s communications director and chief of staff, is one of several Republicans invited to the convention in Chicago “extremism” of the former -denying the president and his campaign. .
On Tuesday night, while endorsing Democrat Kamala Harris for president, Grisham shared the brief text exchange, which convinced her to leave the post because she “couldn’t be a part of the insanity anymore.”
“On January 6, I asked Melania if we could at least tweet ‘While all Americans have a right to peaceful protest, there is no place for lawlessness or violence,'” Grisham said, with the text appearing on side screens behind her.
Melania simply answers: “no.”
During her remarks, she told the audience that the former president mocks his supporters behind closed doors, calling them “basement dwellers”.
She also told a story about Trump during a hospital visit “when people were dying in the ICU, he was mad that the cameras weren’t watching him. He has no empathy, no morality, no loyalty to the truth.”
“He told me, ‘whatever you say, Stephanie, say it enough and people will believe you,'” the former press secretary said.
She also said she resigned on January 6, 2021, because she “couldn’t be a part of the insanity anymore.”
“Kamala Harris tells the truth, she represents the American people and she has my vote,” she said.
In a statement to NBC News, Grisham said she never thought she would be speaking at a Democratic convention. “But, after seeing firsthand who Donald Trump really is, and the threat he poses to our country, I feel strongly about speaking out.”
She said: “While I don’t agree with Vice President Harris on everything, I am proud to support her because I know she will defend our freedoms and represent our nation with honesty and integrity. “
Other Republicans are expected to share a similar message throughout the convention, including former Rep. Adam Kinzinger, of Illinois, who is scheduled to speak Thursday.
On Monday – the first night of the convention – attendees were played a video compilation of former Trump voters, including a longer interview with former Trump, Rich Logis.
“While Donald Trump continues to attack moderates and independents, the Harris-Walz campaign has made it clear that there is a place in our coalition for voters who reject Donald Trump’s extremism and want to protect our democracy,” a Harris campaign official said. .
Grisham was Trump’s third White House press secretary, succeeding Sarah Huckabee Sanders and was the first White House Press Secretary not to hold a press conference.
She assumed the role of chief of staff to former first lady Melania Trump on April 7, 2020. On the evening of January 6, 2021, Grisham resigned from the post after storming the United States Capitol.
After the uprising and his resignation Grisham has been a harsh critic of his former boss, warning that he would “seek revenge” if he was not re-elected.
She told CNN earlier this year: “He told me when I was press secretary, ‘Go out there and say this.’ And if it was false, he would say, ‘It doesn’t matter, Stephanie. You just have to say it over and over again, people will believe it.’
“He knows his base believes in him. He knows he can say basically anything and his base will believe what he’s saying.”
She continues to take into account the second night of the convention, including statements from Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, and the second gentleman Doug Emhoff, with the campaign of the Harris campaign to recruit Republicans to their cause.
“We will be putting patriotic Republicans front and center in our convention program to explain, in their own words, why they are putting the country first and supporting Vice President Harris,” said Austin Weatherford, director national participation of the Republican campaign, in a statement to. NBC News.
The campaign launched its “Republican for Harris” program this month to reach more moderate and independent voters who may have supported Trump in the past, specifically highlighting the controversial Project 2025 document.
