Former aide Stephanie Grisham has claimed that Donald Trump's recent birthday message to his wife, Melania Trump, was more of a "performance for voters" than a genuine display of affection. The former president wished Melania a happy 54th birthday on Friday, April 26, while outside the courthouse where his hush money trial is taking place.
Speaking to CNN's Erin Burnett, Grisham, who previously served as Melania Trump's chief of staff and later as White House press secretary and communications director, suggested that the birthday wish was an attempt to appeal to suburban women and independents ahead of the 2024 election.
"I rolled my eyes when he did that. It was so beyond inappropriate but yet so Donald Trump that on the way into a trial where they are talking about alleged affairs, not one but two he had, that he was wishing his wife a happy birthday," Grisham said. She added that during her time working for Melania Trump, the couple had discussed how "they weren't really birthday people" and that it "wasn't a big deal to either of them."
Grisham characterized Trump's birthday message as "just typical, selfish Donald Trump," emphasizing that it "had nothing to do with her." She also suggested that Melania Trump would have "rolled her eyes" at her husband's courthouse stunt.
The former aide's comments come amidst the ongoing hush money trial, in which Trump is accused of falsifying business documents to conceal a payment to porn actor Stormy Daniels. The alleged payment was made during the final days of the 2016 election to prevent Daniels from speaking out about an alleged affair with Trump.
While Grisham believes that Melania Trump will not be pleased about the details emerging from the trial, she stressed that the former first lady is "not sitting at home crying about this." However, she acknowledged that "like any woman would be, any married woman or woman in a relationship, it's not fun to hear these details."
Grisham drew a distinction between the allegations involving Stormy Daniels and those concerning Karen McDougal, another woman who claims to have had an affair with Trump. "I think the difference between Karen McDougal and Stormy Daniels is that Karen McDougal hasn't been really out there in the news, she says they had a yearlong relationship, they exchanged I love you's. I don't care who you are - that is never going to be fun for you to hear," Grisham explained.
This is not the first time Grisham has weighed in on Melania Trump's potential reaction to the hush money trial. In a previous CNN interview, she suggested that the former first lady's silence on the matter is significant, stating, "I can guarantee she is watching every ounce of coverage, and when that came out, it peaked her interest. Melania is very much about proof. Show proof."
Grisham also hinted that if more damaging information emerges during the trial, particularly evidence in writing, it could have a significant impact on Melania Trump's perspective. "If some other stuff comes out, I think that will be really interesting to watch because you can't really dispute things that are in writing. That is something she always paid quite a bit of attention to was proof," Grisham said.
