They lived in Trump World before escaping, and now they’re Never Trumpers who have, on many occasions, sounded the alarm about what Donald Trump’s second presidential term would be like.
And now, Stephanie Grisham and Alyssah Farah are telling voters: Don’t believe the Trump and GOP gaslighting that the former president’s conviction on 34 felony counts in his hush-money and election-interference case has made him a stronger candidate.
“We know better, however, than to be sold a bill of goods,” the two wrote in an op-ed for CNN. “Reality looks very different. Voters should always be wary of Trump World and right-wing media messaging.”
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They point to a fresh poll by ABC/Ipsos that shows that 52% of independents and 16% of Republicans believe Trump should suspend his campaign as a result of his criminal conviction. The Republican percentge, they say, lines up with those who chose Nikki Haley over Trump in GOP primaries.
They add: “Trump’s supporters would also have us believe that countless people who never voted for him before are suddenly moved to support him because of his criminal conviction in a scheme involving falsifying business records to cover up a hush money payment for an affair with a pornstar.
“Now, it is very possible that a lot of Trump voters gave to his campaign in outrage after Thursday’s verdict. We both know many voters like that — we have them in our families. We find it far harder to believe, however, that fence-sitters suddenly felt compelled to support Trump because he was convicted of a crime.”
More from them: “Don’t get us wrong: Trump’s conviction has hardened his support among those who were already with him. We fear it will even further radicalize the most extreme elements of his base.
“But the notion that the main message he needs to win over swing voters in battleground states is that he is, for the umpteenth time, a ‘victim’ of something, or that the system is ‘rigged’ against him feels like not only a stretch, but a real miscalculation. Voters are simply not that gullible.”
Grisham served as White House press secretary and communications director for Trump and wasChief of Staff to Melania Trump. Griffin, a CNN political commentator, served as communications director for Trump and press secretary to Vice President Mike Pence and for the US Department of Defense.
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