Melania Trump was sound asleep the night of the 2020 election as her husband, former President Donald Trump, and his allies were becoming increasingly agitated over then-candidate Joe Biden's growing command in the race, according to a new excerpt from Stephanie Grisham's book released Monday.
The former White House press secretary claims in her memoir 'I'll Take Your Questions Now: What I Saw In The White House,' that the former first lady spent part of the election coverage asleep before Trump held an unprecedented press conference prematurely claiming victory and fueling baseless theories of election fraud.
'I knocked a few times, quietly at first but louder at each attempt,' Grisham writes in the excerpt obtained by Politico.
'I finally opened the bedroom door only to find that Melania Trump was sound asleep.'
She reportedly slept through most of the night, according to CNN.
'Maybe she thought that someone would wake her up if Trump won,' Grisham, who was Melania's chief of staff at the time, speculated.
But she woke up in time to join the former president's infamous 2:30 a.m. press conference.
Melania Trump was asleep through most of election night but woke up in time for her husband's infamous 2:30 a.m. press conference, Stephanie Grisham claims
Melania and Grisham were at the ex-president's Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida the night before.
The former Trump family confidante said they stayed up late preparing for election night and woke up early to vote before flying back to Washington.
Grisham acknowledged Melania valued her sleep and gave her the benefit of the doubt.
'But still, I couldn’t imagine being asleep at a time like that,' she wrote.
A former White House aide told Politico Melania simply expected a late night and 'took a nap.'
In a separate excerpt obtained by Politico, Grisham also writes she was 'shocked' that Melania shared the former president's view the 2020 election was stolen.
'Something bad happened,' Melania told her in regards to the election, and allegedly refused to listen to Grisham's denials of a grand conspiracy to boot Trump from office.
'I’ll Take Your Questions Now: What I Saw in The Trump White House,' will be published on October 5 by Harper Collins.
Grisham has already dropped a number of bombshells about Melania Trump in her forthcoming book, 'I’ll Take Your Questions Now: What I Saw in The Trump White House,' to be published on October 5 by Harper Collins
Despite the book's name Grisham did not give a single press conference in her eight-month tenure as White House press secretary.
She first began working in Trump's presidential campaign in 2015 as a press wrangler.
She followed the Trumps to the White House, joining Melania in the East Wing to over see her communications From June 2019 through April 2020, Grisham served as White House press secretary, before moving back to the East Wing as Melania's chief of staff.
The two women were once close and would text often.
Melania brought Grisham back to the East Wing, keeping her in the Trump White House, after Mark Meadows had her pushed out as press secretary when he became chief of staff.
But Grisham resigned in protest following the January 6 Capitol riot.
She revealed why in the earlier Politico excerpt.
In it she claims Melania reportedly knew about the January 6 riot earlier than previously thought, and refused to make a public statement denouncing it minutes after supporters of her husband broke into the US Capitol building.
Grisham and the first lady were reportedly close and would text often (pictured watching a performance of dancers in Malawi in 2018)
She instead prepared for a photo shoot with a rug she selected, according to Grisham.
At 1:25 p.m. that day, shortly after MAGA rioters breached the Capitol, she sent Melania a text asking if she wanted to condemn violent demonstrations, Grisham writes.
'Do you want to tweet that peaceful protests are the right of every American, but there is no place for lawlessness and violence?' she asked.
'No.' Melania replied a minute later, according to the book.
Grisham said the response 'broke' her. She quit the White House soon after.
The first lady's former ally said her opinion of her once-good friend shifted to see her more as 'the doomed French queen' Marie Antoinette - 'Dismissive. Defeated. Detached.'
The timing of Grisham's text to Melania also seems to call the White House's timeline of events that day into question.
Grisham is the only top White House staffer to have served in both the East and West Wings (pictured with former Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway and former Deputy White House Press Secretary Hogan Gidley)
An hour later on January 6 at 2:24 p.m., former President Donald Trump lambasted his Vice President Mike Pence on Twitter, claiming he 'didn't have the courage to do what should have been done to protest our Country and our Constitution.'
Meanwhile, angry Trump supporters were chanting 'Hang Mike Pence' in the halls and outside.
Security video from that day shows Pence and his family being rushed out of the Capitol just two minutes later.
But the White House claimed Trump wasn't aware Pence was in danger.
Melania finally released a statement condemning the Capitol riot on January 11.
A statement sent to Politico by Melania's office blasted Grisham personally and professionally.
'The intent behind this book is obvious. It is an attempt to redeem herself after a poor performance as press secretary, failed personal relationships, and unprofessional behavior in the White House. Through mistruth and betrayal, she seeks to gain relevance and money at the expense of Mrs. Trump,' her office wrote.
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