Administration

Stephanie Grisham on Trump knowing nothing about first lady’s Epstein statement: ‘I call BS’

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by Tolu Talabi - 04/10/26 1:26 PM ET

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by Tolu Talabi - 04/10/26 1:26 PM ET

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Former White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham on Thursday was skeptical about President Trump’s statement he was unaware of what first lady Melania Trump was going to say at her White House press event, in which she denied any relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein .

“And I‘m going to say I called BS on our president saying he knew nothing about it because at the very least, I imagine she would have given him a heads up if she had sent an advisory out yesterday,” Grisham said during an interview on CNN’s The Lead.

Trump told MS Now on Thursday that he ⁠did not “know anything about” the first lady ‘s statement, a reporter for the outlet ⁠posted on X.

Grisham, who worked closely with the first lady as her previous chief of staff, expressed her doubts about that, though she also said Trump wouldn’t be able to stop the first lady if she had informed him.

“She‘s a very strong, very independent woman,” Grisham said. “And when she feels that she needs to do something and she feels very strongly that it‘s the right thing to do, she will do it no matter what anybody says, be it her husband, be it her advisers. It doesn‘t matter.”

Grisham said she was unsure about Melania Trump’s reasoning for addressing the issue at this time.

“I don‘t know why,” she said. “Perhaps again, it‘s a story or she just got an inquiry or she saw something obscure that nobody else did see. And it just made her upset.”

During the first lady’s statement on Thursday, she denied being a victim, called Epstein “disgraceful” and said “lies” about her association with him should end “today.”

She also denied a connection with Epstein’s accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell, and called on Congress to allow testimony from Epstein victims and to enter them into the official record. She added that Epstein did not introduce her to her husband.

“The lies linking me with the disgraceful Jeffrey Epstein need to end today. The individuals lying about me are devoid of ethical standards, humility and respect,” the first lady said from the White House’s Grand Foyer. “I do not object to their ignorance, but rather I reject their mean-spirited attempts to defame my reputation.”

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