Stephanie Grisham Tells Us Melania's Behind-The-Scenes Behavior Lives Up To Trump Name

In her self-titled memoir "Melania," former first lady Melania Trump revealed a huge divide between her and her husband, former president and current Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. Among the disagreements, her pro-choice stance on abortion greatly differs from that of her husband, and she also forced him to end an immigration policy that separated migrant families.

Though she's divulged some of their clashing views in her memoir, Melania said the couple has generally tried to keep them private. "Occasional political disagreements between me and my husband were a part of our relationship," Melania wrote. "But I believed in addressing them privately rather than publicly challenging him. I found our discussions more productive when we could have a quiet dialogue at home, out of the public eye."

Recent insights provided by former White House chief of staff and press secretary Stephanie Grisham show that Melania may still be quite similar to her husband despite their apparent differences. Speaking exclusively with The List, Grisham said some might be surprised by how closely Melania and Donald's personalities align. "She's much more like her husband than people realize," she said.

Melania Trump once brewed controversy when she was seen wearing a seriously inappropriate outfit — a jacket that read "I Really Don't Care, Do U?" on the back — while on her way to the New Hope Children's Shelter in June 2018. Though her spokeswoman stated there was no subliminal meaning behind it, Melania later blamed Stephanie Grisham for not allowing her to honestly explain the coat's message, which she said was a rebuttal to the media — a claim that later made Grisham laugh out loud.

Grisham's take on the jacket greatly differs from Donald Trump, who tweeted that Melania's jacket was directed toward the "fake news media." Grisham, who told The List that Melania speaks for herself, said she was shocked by Melania's silence when Trump decided to label the coat as a critical statement toward the media. "We had been telling the press the jacket had no meaning, and they were summoned to the Oval Office," she said. "When he told her that he was tweeting it was a message to the media, she stayed quiet, and that shocked me," Grisham said. "As we walked out of the [Oval Office], he yelled, 'I saved you on this.'"

Like her husband, Melania is also willing to capitalize on Trump's campaign, Grisham said, and she has allegedly embraced the practice of profiting off his followers. "The whole family has always done that," she said. "I think she probably saw that Trump's supporters will basically buy anything he sells so she jumped on that opportunity." Such behavior has been made apparent via Melania's website, which peddles expensive keepsakes, including a $90 USA Christmas ornament, jewelry with prices ranging from $245 to $600, and a collector's edition of her memoir that checks out at $250.