Stephanie Grisham will leave her position as White House press secretary to work solely for First Lady Melania Trump, the White House confirmed Tuesday.
“I am excited to welcome Stephanie back to the team in this new role,” Melania Trump said in a statement. “She has been a mainstay and true leader in the Administration from even before day one, and I know she will excel as Chief of Staff.”
Grisham was the first lady’s press secretary before she replaced outgoing White House press secretary Sarah Sanders in June 2019.
“I continue to be honored to serve both the President and First Lady in the Administration,” Grisham said in a statement. “My replacements will be announced in the coming days and I will stay in the West Wing to help with a smooth transition for as long as needed.”
The first lady’s current chief of staff Lindsay Reynolds resigned to spend more time with her family, according to the White House.
The news demonstrates that newly-appointed White House chief of staff Mark Meadows plans to shake up the communications team.
Grisham served both the White House press secretary and the White House communications director after taking the position. Sean Spicer was the first press secretary for President Trump but resigned after Anthony Scaramucci was brought in as the communications director. Scaramucci was fired after eleven days on the job and has since become embittered against the president.
After Sanders left, President Trump completely changed the traditional role of the press secretary position, preferring to speak with the press himself during appearances in the Oval Office or while leaving the White House for travel.
The president has since led the revival of the daily press briefing himself during the coronavirus crisis, offering an unprecedented level of access to White House reporters.
The New York Times on Tuesday reported that Trump campaign spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany would be the next White House press secretary.
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