It was not until January 11, five days after the insurrection, that Trump in part condemned the violence.
Trump released a statement Monday regarding Grisham to Politico, saying: “The intent behind this book is obvious. It is an attempt to redeem herself after a poor performance as press secretary, failed personal relationships, and unprofessional behavior in the White House. Through mistruth and betrayal, she seeks to gain relevance and money at the expense of Mrs. Trump.”
Grisham was a loyal Trump deputy for more than five years, serving briefly as White House press secretary before returning to the East Wing as Melania Trump’s chief of staff for the last year of the administration.
Grisham’s book is set to be released October 5.
Melania Trump reportedly woken up for husband’s election night speech
According to another account in Grisham’s book, Melania Trump was sleeping in her private bedroom at the White House on election night and Grisham had to wake her for her husband’s speech, a person familiar with the content tells CNN.
Politico was first to report the account, on Monday night’s “Erin Burnett OutFront” on CNN.
According to Grisham, Melania Trump was soundly asleep in her bedroom when Grisham went looking for her so that she could join the then-President in the East Room for his speech in the overnight hours of election night. Melania Trump hastily awoke, put on a suit and went to join her husband.
This story has been updated with further reporting.