First Lady Melania Trump's spokesperson, Stephanie Grisham, was named White House press secretary, replacing Sarah Huckabee Sanders.
Grisham will continue to handle communications for the First Lady while also juggling another position, that of communications director for the WH. The seat was left open when the former Deputy Chief of Staff for WH Communications, William "Bill" Shine, resigned in March. Shine will be working as President Trump's campaign adviser for the 2020 presidential bid.
The First Lady of the United States announced the appointment Tuesday, sharing it on Twitter, saying that she and the President believed there is no one "better" for the position. She also voiced her excitement in having Grisham doing work for "both sides" of the WH.
The commission carries some weight and a wider scope in terms of responsibility as Grisham will be performing three roles at the same time. Grisham's position hence will be one which is, so far in the present administration, quite unique.
A source disclosed that Sanders had been pushing for Hogan Gidley, the deputy WH press secretary, as far as Monday evening's going-away gathering. This was confirmed by a second WH source, who also shared that it had been clear from the beginning that Trump would pick Grisham.
The First Lady's spokeswoman, this latter source explained, was someone from the President's "inner circle," and the choice was a matter of picking someone "he trusts." Gidley, as per the source, had never really been a contender for the position, no matter Sanders' efforts to steer the selection.
On the heels of her Tuesday promotion, Grisham had been with Sanders in the latter's office where members of the press had been standing by outside. Sanders was said to have told her successor to "get used" to such occurrences.
Grisham, it was disclosed, had gone with other WH aides Saturday to join the President who left that morning for Camp David. With her were Dan Scavino as well as Mick Mulvaney, acting Chief of Staff.
The newly appointed press secretary, whose job officially starts as Sanders goes out Friday, will accompany the United States President Donald Trump to the Group of 20 summit in Japan next week for negotiations with Xi Jinping, the Chinese leader, to look at the resolution of the continuing trade war between the U.S. and China.
It is known that press relations whiz has been working with the Trumps since 2015. She had her own PR operation in the past as well as with other campaigns outside of Trumps' before joining the team of then-presidential-candidate Donald Trump.
When Trump was elected to office, Grisham worked at the WH West Wing, but was later snagged by the First Lady for the East Wing. Since then she has been handling communications from the office of the FLOTUS, whether it was to counter criticism or balancing acts when the FLOTUS' opinions seem contrary to that of the POTUS'.
