At the end of President Donald Trump's State of the Union address, Melania Trump, the first lady, leaves the Capitol. Chris Kleponis - Pool/Getty Images
A new book reveals that Melania Trump selected a military escort extra-handsome to get under Trump's skin.
She walked hand in hand with the military aide during the 2018 State of the Union.
Stephanie Grisham claims Melania was "unleashed", after Stormy Daniels' allegations broke.
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As a joke at her husband, Melania Trump intentionally appeared arm-in-arm with a handsome military officer as her escort for the 2018 State of the Union.
Stephanie Grisham was Melania's chief staff officer and communications director. She will be sharing new accounts in her memoir, "I'll take your questions now: What I saw in The Trump White House", which is due to be published on October 5. The New York Times and The Washington Post obtained the book before its publication.
Grisham wrote that Daniels' and other women's allegations "basically unleashed" Melania. She tried to make subtle digs at Donald Trump in public by trying to get under him with an attractive military escort and excluding him from photos and postings on social media.
Although it is common for first ladies to send military aides to major events, Grisham says that Melania had chosen a handsome aide to make Trump jealous.
Grisham wrote that the first lady wore a cream-colored pantuit and nude heels to the event. She said that she had to hold the military aide’s arm in order to keep it steady on the Capitol's slippery floors.
According to The Post, Grisham wrote in the book that "I laughed to myself because I'd seen her navigate dirt roads in heels,"
Melania, Grisham writes that she never reacted or lash out at her husband. Grisham paraphrases her saying that Melania didn't believe his denials. He created this mess. He can fix it himself."
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The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump orchestrated a $130,000 hush money payment to Daniels (an adult-film actress who is legally Stephanie Clifford) so she would not come forward publicly with her allegations of having an affair with Trump.
Daniels claimed that she had sex with Trump in 2006, shortly after Melania and Trump got married, and just after Barron was born.
Trump's former lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen pleaded guilty to illegally contributing to the campaign in August 2018. He was also facing tax- and bank-fraud allegations.
Trump was mentioned multiple times by federal prosecutors in Cohen's indictment as "Individual-1", but was not charged.
Melania and Trump both released strong-worded public statements denigring Grisham after the January 6th insurrection as a vengeful ex-employee seeking a payday.
Trump spokesperson Liz Harrington stated that the book was "another pitiful attempt at cashing in on the President’s strength and selling lies about the Trump family." Melania's office had previously described it as "an attempt to redeem myself after a poor performance in her role as press secretary, failed relationships with people, and unprofessional behavior at the White House."
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