Former White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham weighed in on former President Trump’s latest move, describing his “self-announced” press conference as a sign of desperation.
Grisham, who previously served as the White House communications director and as chief of staff and press secretary for Melania Trump, took to X to express her view. She suggested that Trump’s decision to call a press conference on his own initiative signals he is “panicking.”
In her post, Grisham speculated that Trump is feeling overshadowed by the recent positive media coverage of Vice President Harris.
“Re: Trump’s self-announced press conference today at 2 pm: He’s panicking,” Grisham wrote. “I’ve seen this play many times. He thinks his team is failing him & no one can speak better/“save” his campaign/defend him but him. He hates the coverage Harris is getting & thinks only he can fix it.”
Trump announced the press conference late Wednesday, stating he would address the media from his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. This announcement coincides with his campaign’s effort to criticize Harris’s media strategy. Harris has not taken on-the-record questions from reporters since President Biden’s July 21 announcement of his decision not to seek reelection, which led to Harris’s rise as the Democratic front-runner.
Trump criticized Harris on Truth Social, alleging she is avoiding interviews due to her inability to answer questions effectively. “Kamala refuses to do interviews because her team realizes she is unable to answer questions, much like Biden was not able to answer questions, but for different reasons,” Trump posted. “He is just plain ‘shot,’ and she is just plain ‘Incompetent.’”
In response to Grisham’s comments, a Trump campaign spokesperson dismissed her critique, suggesting she should focus on other topics. “She should stick to talking about the Bombay Club in DC rather than politics,” the spokesperson said.
Re: Trump’s self-announced press conference today at 2 pm: He’s panicking. I’ve seen this play many times. He thinks his team is failing him & no one can speak better/“save” his campaign/defend him but him. He hates the coverage Harris is getting & thinks only he can fix it.
— Stephanie Grisham (@OMGrisham) August 8, 2024
