Stephanie Grisham - the quiet general of the White House

White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham is always willing to answer the press but will be tough if challenged. Photo: AP

Stephanie's Dream

Years before she became White House Press Secretary, Stephanie Grisham hung a picture of the White House in her office in Arizona. The picture reminded her of her childhood dream of working for the President of the United States.

“She has made no secret of the fact that she wants to be White House press secretary,” said Hank Stephenson, editor of the Yellow Sheet Report, a daily political news site in Arizona. “She has told reporters and friends.”

It was a dream job. But Grisham didn’t have much in the way of public support when she was offered one of the most important jobs in the White House. Two weeks before President Donald Trump appointed her to the position, Stephanie Grisham had never held a press conference. She had also not appeared on Fox News, the favorite news channel of her predecessor, Sarah Sanders.

Last week, Stephanie declined an interview request from NPR, as is her wont: she doesn’t want to be the subject of a media story. When Stephenson worked with Stephanie, she was the spokesperson for the Arizona Republican House Office. That’s when her work style first took shape.

“Spokesmen generally fall into two categories: those who try to hide things from the press. And those who force you to confront them. Grisham definitely falls into the latter category,” Stephenson said.

That said, Stephanie responds quickly to emails and is always willing to take on reporters’ requests. That may be because she was married to a news anchor for an Arizona television network and understands what it takes to do a good job. But that’s only half of Stephanie’s approach. She’s also willing to be tough when it comes to defending what she stands for.

“Hit back 10 times harder”

Before being promoted to the coveted position of White House Communications Director and Press Secretary, Stephanie Grisham served as Communications Director for First Lady Melania Trump. And it was in this role that Stephanie taught Kate Andersen Brower, a famous reporter and writer in the US, to never test her patience.

Brower, who has published a book about the First Lady, wrote a CNN op-ed at the time, saying that President Trump “doesn’t understand what it means to be First Lady.” Stephanie responded with a personal op-ed criticizing Brower and the media more broadly, saying that “stupid things about the First Lady of the United States are all over the news.”

“Stephanie felt like she had to hit back 10 times harder,” Kate Andersen Brower recalled of the backlash she received after posting the post. Shortly after Stephanie posted her message on her personal page, Brower was subjected to an unprecedented wave of “cyber terrorism” from President Trump’s supporters.

“When Stephanie wrote those lines in response to my article, I thought it would have little impact. But I was wrong. It shows her loyalty to Melania Trump,” Brower admitted.

Stephanie Grisham accompanied President Donald Trump to Japan in late June. Photo: AFP

Trust is the key

Stephanie Grisham, 42, a mother of two, has been on the presidential team since the 2016 campaign. Her first position was as campaign press director. It was an opportunity for her to learn the first experiences of a White House press secretary. That spirit was demonstrated during President Donald Trump's visit to the Demilitarized Zone between the two Koreas on June 30. At that time, North Korean bodyguards tried to block the White House press team from approaching Trump's press conference room. Stephanie even had to use her body to separate the Pyongyang bodyguards from the press team and create a path for them.

The moment Stephanie jostled with the North Koreans and shouted “Let’s go, let’s go” was captured on camera. It left her bruised but she shot into the public eye.

When the appointment was announced, it was unclear to those in the White House how Stephanie Grisham would approach her new role and how she would change the way the executive branch interacts with the press. Stephanie spent about two weeks meeting with members of the president’s communications and press team to figure out what was working and what wasn’t, and how to adapt as the news cycle became increasingly focused on the Democratic primary and the launch of President Donald Trump’s re-election campaign.

“She really understands and trusts the first family, both Mr. Trump and the first lady,” said Sean Spicer, Mr. Trump’s first press secretary, who worked with Stephanie during the 2016 campaign. “But she also has great respect for the press corps.”

Spicer also said that Stephanie Grisham has great respect for the press corps, but it is unlikely that she will re-establish the daily press briefings at the White House, which were ended by her predecessor Sarah Sanders.

“That's not something the press secretary wants to do. That's something the president decides,” Sean Spicer said.

President Trump wants his own spokesperson, someone who will answer questions about the day’s events, and who is willing to go toe-to-toe with the team of reporters who are always on duty in the Oval Office or on the South Lawn of the White House, where the President delivers his messages right in front of the Marine One helicopter. Stephanie is always willing to let President Trump guide the public with his messages. That is how she builds trust with the head of the United States./.