Stephanie Grisham

Stephanie Ann Grisham (née Sommerville; born July 23, 1976) is an American former White House official. She was the 32nd White House Press Secretary from 2019 until 2020 during the first Trump administration. At the same time, she was the White House Communications Director. She was also the Chief of Staff to First Lady Melania Trump. Grisham resigned from her role at the White House after Trump supporters attacked the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. 

Early life
Stephanie Ann Sommerville was born in Colorado to a farming family. She moved with her mother after her parents divorced to East Wenatchee, Washington. She dropped out from Colorado Mesa University. Grisham began voting in Arizona as a registered Democrat in 1997. She became a Republican after 2007.

Early career
Grisham was the spokeswoman for AAA Arizona in 2007. From about 2011 to 2014, Grisham was spokeswoman for Tom Horne after he was elected Arizona attorney general. After Horne lost his re-election to Mark Brnovich, Grisham worked as a spokesperson for the Arizona House of Representatives Republican caucus.

In 2012, Grisham also worked for Mitt Romney's 2012 presidential campaign. In September 2015, Grisham worked as a press coordinator for Pope Francis's 2015 visit to Philadelphia.

In August 2015, Grisham started working as a press aide to Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign. After Trump won the 2016 election, Grisham was named a special adviser for operations and worked on Trump's transition team. Arizona House speaker David Gowan paid her $19,000 in state salary over an 8-week period while she was a member of the Trump transition team.

White House career
Grisham began her role as White House Press Secretary on July 1, 2019, working for President Donald Trump, and left on April 7, 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. During her tenure as Press Secretary she did not hold a briefing. Before that job she was the press secretary of First Lady Melania Trump from March 27, 2017 through July 1, 2019.

She was a member of Donald Trump's presidential transition team.

Grisham resigned on April 7, 2020 and became Chief of Staff to the First Lady Melania Trump.

On January 6, 2021, Grisham resigned from her position as First Lady Trump's Chief of Staff following the January 6, 2021 attack at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. by Trump supporters.

Post-government career
After leaving the White House, Grisham became a critic of Trump. 

In September 2021, she announced the publication of her book about her time working in the Trump administration, I'll Take Your Questions Now.

On January 5, 2022, Grisham testified to the January 6 Committee. In August 2024, Grisham spoke at the 2024 Democratic National Convention and criticized Trump and his suppoters.

 Personal life 
Grisham married Danny Don Marries in Nevada on April 7, 1997. They met in college in Grand Junction, Colorado. Her husband was a news anchor in Tucson, Arizona. They had one son, Kurtis. They divorced in 2004. Later in 2004, she married Todd Grisham, a sportscaster. They divorced in 2006. In 2007, Grisham had a second son, Jake.

From 2019 until 2020, Grisham dated then-Trump White House aide Max Miller. Politico reported that the relationship ended in 2020 after an argument in which Miller allegedly pushed Grisham up against a wall and slapped her in the face after she accused him of cheating.

Legal problems
On January 9, 2013, Grisham was pulled over for speeding in Gilbert, Arizona. It was later discovered she was drunk driving and was sentenced with two years probation. On December 5, 2015, Grisham was arrested again in Phoenix, Arizona, for driving without her headlights on and for driving drunk again, violating her probation. Grisham failed to appear at her court hearing on January 19, 2016, and was arrested. Afterwards, Grisham pleaded guilty. In July 2016, she was ordered into a treatment program and to pay nearly $1,600 in court costs and fines.

References

Other websites

 Stephanie Grisham at TucsonSentinel.com
 Stephanie Grisham at the Arizona Capitol Times
 Stephanie Grisham at The Washington Post

Category:1977 births
Category:Living people
Category:White House Press Secretaries
Category:Politicians from Arizona
Category:Republican Party (United States) politicians
Category:White House Communications Directors
Category:Politicians from Colorado