• The force behind the first lady. This weekend, Melania Trump spokesperson Stephanie Grisham published a fiery op-ed defending the first lady on CNN.com. The piece seems to have been prompted by a recent story in which Kate Andersen Brower, a journalist who’s penned three books about life in the White House, wrote that Trump “doesn’t understand what it means to be first lady.”
Grisham slams Brower’s take, saying the author “intentionally ignores all the effort the first lady has put into fulfilling the traditional responsibilities of the role.” And it’s not just Brower who refuses to acknowledge Trump’s accomplishments, according to Grisham:
“… The media consistently ignores the first lady’s work on behalf of the people of this country, and children in particular, in favor of more trivial matters. And my defense, here, of the first lady will certainly draw criticism and be framed as another assault on the press, but this predictable reaction won’t make my observations any less true.”
To me, the piece is less notable for its criticism of the press (old hat for the Trump administration!) and more interesting when read as the latest profile-raising move by Grisham, whose name seems to be appearing in more and more stories these days.
Last week, Emma flagged a Washington Post article that describes Grisham’s rise from “lowly press wrangler” on the Trump campaign in 2015, to the two years she spent as Melania Trump’s comms director, to her recent promotion to the first lady’s deputy chief of staff for communications. If you haven’t read it yet, it’s worth your time. The story describes how Grisham, a single mom of two who’s earned a rep as Trump’s “enforcer,” isn’t afraid to buck White House protocol by staking out strong positions that are nothing like the platitudes typically issued by the East Wing. For instance: She delivered the statement that’s been credited with the ouster of deputy national security adviser Mira Ricardel, and even signs her name to official statements, an unusual move for a role that’s historically remained rather anonymous. Grisham, clearly, has no such intention.
This story was originally published by Fortune
via USAHint.com
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