Former Trump press secretary Stephanie Grisham, other Republicans to speak at DNC

In addition to the ex-Trump aide, Adam Kinzinger, Geoff Duncan, and John Giles are among other GOP leaders slated to make appearances at the DNC.

Stephanie Grisham, the former White House Press Secretary for Donald Trump, is set to speak on Day 2 of the Democratic National Convention. As the 48-year-old will show her support for Kamala Harris, she has encouraged her fellow Republicans to join her. In addition to the ex-Trump aide, Adam Kinzinger, Geoff Duncan, and John Giles are among other GOP leaders slated to make appearances at the DNC.

US Vice President Kamala Harris arrives for the Democratic National Convention (DNC) at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, US, on Monday, Aug. 19, 2024. The race for the White House will reach a fever pitch this week, with Vice President Kamala Harris and Republican nominee Donald Trump battling for momentum, and attention, around the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. Photographer: Al Drago/Bloomberg (Bloomberg)

Ex-Trump aide, other GOP leaders to show support for Harris at Day 2 of DNC

Grisham, who served as a press aide for the Trump administration in 2016, said in a statement ahead of her appearance at the DNC, “I never thought I’d be speaking at a Democratic convention. But, after seeing firsthand who Donald Trump really is, and the threat he poses to our country, I feel very strongly about speaking out.”

“While I don’t agree with Vice President Harris on everything, I am proud to be supporting her because I know she will defend our freedoms and represent our nation with honesty and integrity,” Grisham added per NBC News. She also confirmed her DNC appearance on X, saying, “We'll, I'm doing a thing tonight.”

Kinzinger, a former Republican congressman for Illinois, also issued a statement on Tuesday, confirming his attendance at the DNC on Thursday. “I can now report that I will be speaking Thursday at the Democratic National Convention. True conservatism has been replaced with a cult. I’ll be making that clear,” Kinzinger wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

Meanwhile, Duncan, a Republican former lieutenant governor of Georgia, told Fox News, “As a lifelong conservative Republican, I do not recognize my own party. Donald Trump does not care about America’s working families; he only cares about revenge and retribution. Americans know Donald Trump’s extremist agenda is a threat to our country, and it’s time to move past his incoherence and division.”

Another key Republican figure who is set to make an appearance at the DNC in support of Harris is Giles, the mayor of Mesa, Arizona. “I’ve been a Republican all my life. But since Donald Trump refused to accept the results of the 2020 election, the Republican Party has spiraled further and further into political extremism,” Giles said in a statement.