In a revelatory interview with CNN’s Jim Acosta, former White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham exposed alarming details about her tenure under the Trump administration. Grisham unveiled the deliberate strategy employed by then-President Donald Trump, wherein she was explicitly instructed to disseminate false information to the press, emphasizing Trump’s awareness of deceiving the public for political gains.
Grisham’s candid account, reported by Raw Story on Sunday, January 7, 2024, sheds light on Trump’s belief in the efficacy of constantly repeating falsehoods to mold public opinion. According to Grisham, Trump was unwavering in his directive, urging her to “say it over and over and over again” with the conviction that repetition would lead people to accept the lies as truth.
“He knows he’s lying,” Grisham asserted. “He used to tell me when I was press secretary, go out there and say it. It doesn’t matter, Stephanie. Say it over and over and over again. People will believe it.”
The focal point of the conversation revolved around the events of January 6 and Trump’s persistent claim of victory in the 2020 election. Grisham expressed skepticism about the effectiveness of this strategy, stating, “I think this will help propel him into the general, but I think that independents and center-leaning Republicans are not going to be buying this. They’re much, much smarter than that. I think he’s going to get in trouble with it in the general with these kinds of lies.”
Grisham unequivocally debunked any doubts about Trump’s awareness of the truth, affirming that there is no doubt in her mind that he knows the statements are untrue. Her revelations dismantle any ambiguity surrounding Trump’s consciousness of reality versus the deliberate propagation of what has been coined as the “big lie.”
Furthermore, Grisham delved into the psychology behind Trump’s ardent supporters, revealing the challenges individuals face in reconciling unwavering support with the reality of Trump’s deceptive tactics. Drawing from her personal experience as a former believer in Trump’s leadership, Grisham highlighted the internal struggle of supporters who find it easier to believe in conspiracy theories rather than admitting their chosen leader may be a fraud.
“I think that when you believe in somebody so much, when you believe in somebody like Donald Trump, and I can speak to this because I actually did believe in him for a very long time… It’s easier to just want to believe that the FBI, that law enforcement, that the people who go to help us when we’re in trouble would be behind something, rather than admitting that the person you’ve been backing for years and years is a fraud and actually doesn’t care about the American people or our country,” she explained.
