Former White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham said Melania Trump has not attended her husband’s hush money trial because she is “thinking of her own optics.”
Grisham, a former top aide to Melania Trump, told CNN’s Erin Burnett on Tuesday that it “doesn’t surprise” her that the former first lady has not paid a trip to the Manhattan courthouse where former President Trump has been on trial for weeks.
“This family is really focused on optics. They’re always focused on optics,” she said on CNN’s “Erin Burnett OutFront.”
A handful of family members have attended the trial to show support for the former president, but Melania Trump and the former president’s daughter, Ivanka Trump, have yet to make an appearance as the court enters its seventh week of proceedings.
“But you know, I think that Melania and Ivanka are both thinking of their own optics, and they haven’t been here the whole time. And I’m just not sure showing up now would do anything but cause more speculation,” Grisham added later on.
During closing arguments Tuesday, Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump and Tiffany Trump were all in attendance, as well as the former president’s daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, and his son-in-law, Michael Boulos. Throughout the trial, numerous Republicans and other Trump allies have also attended the proceedings to rail against the case and its key players.
Grisham said she does not believe Melania will show up to court as the jurors begin their deliberations this week. She also said she thinks the campaign and the former president have asked her to attend.
“I would be absolutely floored if she showed up. There’s just no way, and again, she hasn’t shown up this whole time now. And so, in her mind, I think she would think that she was caving or even look weak to suddenly show up,” Grisham said.
The former president is charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records in connection to a reimbursement made to his ex-fixer, Michael Cohen, for a payment made to porn actor Stormy Daniels to cover up an alleged affair with Trump. Trump has pleaded not guilty to all counts and has denied the affair.
Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung dismissed Grisham’s remarks when reached for comment.
“This former, low level staffer has no idea what she is talking about,” he said.