Stephanie Grisham, Donald Trump’s former White House press secretary, appeared at the Democratic National Convention, where she was cheered as she blasted her old boss in a scathing speech.
“I saw him when the cameras were off. Behind closed doors, Trump mocked his supporters — he called them ‘basement dwellers,'” she said. “When people were dying in intensive care, [Trump] was angry that the cameras weren’t watching him. He has no empathy. No morals. No loyalty to the truth.’
Grisham told DailyMail.com after her speech that it was “surreal” to speak at the convention among thousands of Democrats.
“Everyone was very welcoming, so it was great,” she said. “I was really scared, I won’t deny that.”
Grisham served as chief of staff and press secretary to former first lady Melania Trump, as well as White House press secretary and communications director during the Trump administration.
Five days ago she heard she would be speaking at the conference, she told DailyMail.com.
Former Trump White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham spoke at the Democratic National Convention on Tuesday
She resigned from the Trump administration after the January 6 attack on the US Capitol. She spoke about her decision in her speech at the convention.
“On January 6th, I asked Melania if we could at least tweet that while peaceful protest is the right of every American, there is no place for lawlessness and violence,” Grisham said. “She responded with one word: ‘No.'”
“I was the first senior staffer to resign that day. I could no longer be a part of the madness,” Grisham added.
Grisham was among the Republicans on hand for the second night of the Democratic National Convention, as Harris’ campaign attempted to cross party lines in its bid to capture a share of the GOP vote.
The former Trump official spoke about how close she once was to the Republican presidential candidate and his family.
“I wasn’t just a Trump supporter. I was a true believer, one of his closest advisors. The Trump family became my family,” she recalled. “I spent Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas at Mar-a-Lago.”
Grisham with former President Donald Trump aboard Air Force One on August 7, 2019
Grisham spoke during her speech about how she resigned from the Trump administration after the January 6 attack. She said she would vote for Kamala Harris and said she was ‘telling the truth’
“He always said to me, ‘It doesn’t matter what you say, Stephanie. Say it enough and people will believe you.’ But it does matter what you say — and what you don’t say,” she told the welcoming crowd.
While Grisham was serving as White House press secretary, she never held a press conference. Trump campaign officials attacked her in response to her convention speech.
“That’s the only time she’s been on stage, more than the time she didn’t give a single press conference while in office as White House press secretary,” wrote Tim Murtaugh, who worked on Trump’s 2020 campaign and recently returned to the 2024 campaign.
During her speech, Grisham spoke about her time in the White House.
“When I was press secretary, I was criticized for never having a briefing at the White House. That’s because, unlike my boss, I never wanted to stand on that podium and lie,” she said.
“And now here I am, standing behind a podium, advocating for a Democrat, because I love my country more than I love my party,” she continued.
“Kamala Harris is telling the truth. She respects the American people and she has my vote,” Grisham concluded.
“I’m still a true Republican,” she told DailyMail.com, but she said the election was too important.