Report: Melania Trump Gave Even Less of a F–k About the Capitol Attack Than Previously Thought

If one thinks back to January 6, 2021, and the events surrounding the attack on the U.S. Capitol, the first thing that probably comes to mind is that the insurrection was started by the president of the United States in response to losing the election. After that, one also probably thinks about how that president, Donald Trump, did nothing to stop the rioters trying to burn down democracy in his name, and in fact released a video wherein he (1) declared that the failed coup that left several people dead was justified and (2) told the perpetrators, “You’re very special” and “we love you,” which precipitated his banishment from social media. Aside from how Trump reacted, though—i.e., like an insane wannabe despot—one might also remember the reaction of then first lady Melania Trump—or rather, the lack thereof.

As a reminder, for a whopping five days following the shocking events that unfolded at the Capitol, the country heard nary a peep from Melania “Be Best” Trump. When she did release a statement, it was less about condemning the violence and more about expressing how pissed off she was re: perceived attacks on her character. “I find it shameful that surrounding these tragic events there has been salacious gossip, unwarranted personal attacks, and false misleading accusations on me—from people who are looking to be relevant and have an agenda,” Melania, or someone in her office, wrote. “This time is solely about healing our country and its citizens. It should not be used for personal gain.”

While it was previously reported that as the insurrection unfolded, Melania declined to issue a plea for the violence to stop, one might have thought there was some sort of dialogue between the first lady and her staff in which she explained her refusal to say something. But apparently, not so much! Per Politico:

Sometimes it seems that everything has already been said about the Trump years though not everyone has said it. In the latter camp is Stephanie Grisham, the former Trump White House press secretary best known for never holding a press briefing. Now Grisham is breaking her silence, and Politico’s Daniel Lippman emails us with a scoopy preview of her forthcoming tell-all:

At 1:25 p.m. on January 6, soon after rioters had broken through barricades outside of the Capitol, Melania Trump received a text message from her then chief of staff, Stephanie Grisham. “Do you want to tweet that peaceful protests are the right of every American, but there is no place for lawlessness and violence?” Grisham asked the first lady. A minute later, Melania replied with a one-word answer: “No.” At that moment, she was at the White House preparing for a photo shoot of a rug she had selected, according to exclusive excerpts of Grisham’s forthcoming book, I’ll Take Your Questions Now: What I Saw in the Trump White House, obtained by Politico.

Is it shocking that Melania, a woman of extremely few words who appeared to hate her time at the White House almost as much as she hates her husband, didn’t abruptly cancel the photo shoot, call a meeting, and hash out the pros/cons of responding to the attack? In a word, no. But it’s still incredible to learn that she couldn’t even eke out a “No, I don’t think so” or a “No, it’s not a good time.” 

Elsewhere in the forthcoming tome:

Grisham, a yearslong Trump loyalist who resigned within hours of that text exchange, also writes that she asked Melania a couple times whether she should reach out to Jill Biden during the transition to set up the traditional inauguration tea. But instead of setting up the meeting, Melania told her that they should “see what the West Wing does.” The reason, according to Grisham: Melania, like her husband, believed the election was illegitimate.

Grisham joined the Trump campaign in 2015 and, despite her misgivings, remained with the White House until close to the end. She writes that Melania’s response to her text on January 6 “broke” her since she had long defended the first lady against accusations that she was a Marie Antoinette–type dilettante. Now, Grisham writes, she sees Melania like “the doomed French queen. Dismissive. Defeated. Detached.”

Though it shouldn’t be a huge surprise that Melania stood by her husband on important questions like the election, Grisham writes in the book that she was “shocked” to learn that Melania seemed to share Donald Trump’s view that the election was rigged. Melania told Grisham that “something bad happened” and that the election results weren’t legitimate. She didn’t listen to Grisham when she tried to explain to her that there are small irregularities in all elections but there was no grand conspiracy to unfairly remove Trump from office, according to the book.

In a statement, the former first lady’s office told Politico: “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, [Grisham] seeks to gain relevance and money at the expense of Mrs. Trump.”

Grisham’s book is scheduled for release on October 5 and will apparently include details not just on Melania, but also former first son-in-law Jared Kushner, Trump’s fourth and final chief of staff, Mark Meadows, and the 45th president himself. “Stephanie has secrets about Trump that even the first lady doesn’t know,” a source told Politico. “Secrets that he doesn’t want her to know. They will be in this book.”

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