Former White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham says that she told former President Trump and first lady Melania Trump that a relationship with an aide had turned abusive, “and they didn’t seem to care.”
In an op-ed for The Washington Post published Tuesday, Grisham explained how the president had an interest in the relationship, even inviting the couple to several events.
“A hungry gossip, the president showed an ongoing interest in my relationship with my boyfriend, a fellow White House staffer, and asked intimate questions about our relationship,” Grisham wrote. “They also knew when the relationship turned abusive — and they didn’t seem to care.”
Grisham’s op-ed comes the same day that her tell-all book “I’ll Take Your Questions Now: What I Saw at the Trump White House” publishes.
An excerpt of the book previously reported by The New York Times alleges that Grisham’s ex-boyfriend, Max Miller, was asked to play Trump his favorite songs whenever he was angry.
Miller is running for Congress in Ohio, and Trump has endorsed him.
Grisham alleges that she told Melania Trump that the relationship had turned abusive, but hadn’t reported it to authorities because it would not be good to have another domestic abuse scandal in the administration “this close to the election.”
Former White House speechwriter David Sorensen resigned in 2018 amid allegations of domestic abuse against his former wife.
Weeks later, after the first presidential debate, Grisham alleges that former President Trump expressed sympathy for her ex about the breakup, prompting her to tell him how the relationship turned abusive. Grisham said her ex-boyfriend was with the entourage that day.
“After I finished, the president crossed his arms and just said, ‘That surprises me. He was really broken up over things,’ ” Grisham writes. “After we got off the helicopter, Mrs. Trump said she was glad I told him.”
Grisham wrote that it “didn’t seem to register” to Trump that one of his staffers was accused of assault by someone he trusted.
“To the contrary, knowing what he knows, Trump has endorsed my ex’s bid for Congress,” Grisham wrote. “The takeaway: Dealing with abuse claims is not in his interest, but having someone in office who will be a rubber stamp for his agenda is.”
The Hill has reached out to former President Trump and Miller for comment.