It's not just Prominent party loyalists are taking the stage at this year’s Democratic National Convention. Republican defectors who have publicly disavowed former President Donald Trump are also taking the stage in Chicago.
On Tuesday, former White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham — the third White House press secretary to lead the White House press operations during the Trump administration — spoke at the United Center. Grisham spoke of her displeasure with the former president, noting that she was “one of his closest advisers.”
“The Trumps became my family. I spent Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s at Mar-a-Lago,” Grisham recalled. “I saw him when the cameras were off behind closed doors. Trump would mock his supporters, calling them basement dwellers.”
“He would say to me, 'It doesn't matter what you say, Stephanie. Say enough and people will believe you. But it does matter. What you say matters and what you don't say matters,'” Grisham added.
The former press secretary recalled her resignation from the White House in the wake of the events of January 6. “I asked Melania [Trump] “If we could at least tweet that peaceful protest is every American’s right, but there is no place for chaos or violence. She replied with one word: No. She became the first senior civil servant to resign that day.”
Grisham won’t be the only prominent Republican speaking at the convention. Former Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) is expected to take the stage Thursday, and former Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan is scheduled to speak Wednesday.
Also speaking Tuesday was Kyle Switzer, a former Trump supporter who in his words voted for Trump “not once, not twice, but three times,” telling the conference he was “not a leftist” but believed “our leaders should bring out the best in us, not the worst.”
“I will vote for Kamala Harris because she will make us proud to be Americans,” Switzer added.
Earlier this week, retired federal appeals court judge J. Michael Luttig announced that he would endorse Vice President Harris over Trump. “Unfortunately, in the 2024 presidential election, there is only one political party and one presidential candidate who can claim the mantle of defender and protector of American democracy, the Constitution, and the rule of law,” the prominent conservative legal scholar, who was appointed under George H.W. Bush, told CNN.
“As a result, I will vote without hesitation for the Democratic Party's candidate for President of the United States, Vice President of the United States, Kamala Harris,” he added.
Democrats want to make clear at the convention that there are plenty of other Republicans who feel the same way.
