White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham is stepping down from her role and will rejoin First Lady Melania Trump’s office as chief of staff and spokeswoman, according to a statement from the first lady’s office.
“I am excited to welcome Stephanie back to the team in this new role,” the first lady said in a statement on April 7. “She has been a mainstay and true leader in the Administration from even before day one, and I know she will excel as Chief of Staff. I appreciate all that Lindsay Reynolds did over the past three years, and wish her well in her future endeavors.”
Grisham, who took the job as press secretary about a year ago, said she’s honored to work for the first lady.
A replacement for Grisham, who followed Sarah Huckabee Sanders in the role, hasn’t yet been named. Grisham notably didn’t host a traditional press briefing at any point during her tenure and had a lower profile than Sanders and her predecessor, Sean Spicer.
“I continue to be honored to serve both the President and First Lady in the Administration,” said Grisham. “My replacements will be announced in the coming days and I will stay in the West Wing to help with a smooth transition for as long as needed.”
Grisham has worked with President Donald Trump since his 2016 campaign and followed him to the White House, becoming a deputy press secretary under Spicer.
The first lady’s office said her spokeswoman, Lindsay Reynolds, had resigned earlier in the week to spend more time with her family.
The move comes as Mark Meadows took over as Trump’s new chief of staff. He replaced Mick Mulvaney, who served in the role for more than a year.
Last month, Grisham self-quarantined at her home after she came into contact with a Brazilian official who tested positive for the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, commonly known as the novel coronavirus. She later reportedly tested negative for the virus, which causes the disease COVID-19.
Trump recently spoke about his administration’s efforts on messaging during the CCP virus pandemic.
“We’ve done a poor job on press relationships, and I guess, I don’t know who to blame for that,” Trump said. “Maybe I can blame ourselves for that. I will blame ourselves. But I think we’ve done a great job. I think we’ve done a poor job in terms of press relationship.”
Trump campaign spokesperson Kayleigh McEnany will replace Grisham.
