On January 6, 2021, while MAGA enthusiasts rioted in and around the U.S. Capitol, Melania Trump was asked if she'd like to tweet a statement encouraging peace and the former First Lady responded with a one-word answer.
According to ex-aide Stephanie Grisham, she personally sent a text to Melania on Jan. 6 asking "Do you want to tweet that peaceful protests are the right of every American, but there is no place for lawlessness & violence?"
Melania's response was a simple "No."
— Stephanie Grisham (@OMGrisham) June 28, 2022
Grisham, who was Melania's chief of staff during the time of this exchange, and a former White House press secretary and communications director, resigned later that day without making mention of what had happened. Tweeting a farewell message, Grisham said "It has been an honor to serve the country in the White House. I am very proud to have been a part of Melania Trump's mission to help children everywhere, & proud of the many accomplishments of this Administration."
It has been an honor to serve the country in the @WhiteHouse . I am very proud to have been a part of @FLOTUS @MELANIATRUMP mission to help children everywhere, & proud of the many accomplishments of this Administration. Signing off now - you can find me at @OMGrisham ❤️🇺🇸
— Stephanie Grisham 45 Archived (@StephGrisham45) January 7, 2021
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While it's not clear why Grisham waited until now to share her text exchange with Melania from Jan. 6, Huffington Post highlights that it "backs an anecdote" from Grisham's tell-all book, "I'll Take Your Questions Now: What I Saw at the Trump White House," which was released on October 5, 2021.
"Do you want a participation award? Do you think this absolves you of your complicity in what went on in that WH for 4 years? You sat by as Rome burned and did nothing," a commenter replied to Grisham's share of the text exchange on Twitter yesterday. "The entire lot of you should be in jail."
"Nope. I don't believe in participation awards. I'm not trying to be absolved of anything, what I am doing is trying not to let history repeat itself," Grisham responded.
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