WASHINGTON, June 25 (Xinhua) -- U.S. First Lady Melania Trump said Tuesday that her chief spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham has been tapped to be White House press secretary and communications director.
"I am pleased to announce @StephGrisham45 will be the next @PressSec & Comms Director! She has been with us since 2015 - @POTUS & I can think of no better person to serve the Administration & our country." Melania Trump tweeted.
Melania Trump added that she is "excited to have Stephanie working for both sides of the @WhiteHouse." A CNN report also said Grisham will keep her current job too.
Grisham will be accompanying the president in her new capacity on his trip to Japan and South Korea this week. However, it was not immediately clear if Grisham would be leading communications for both the president and the first lady simultaneously.
Grisham joined the Trump campaign's press operation in 2015 and has been the communications director for the first lady since March 2017. She will replace Sarah Sanders who will be departing as White House press secretary at the end of June.
On the day Grisham was announced as her successor, Sanders had not briefed reporters in the White House briefing room in more than 100 days. Friday is Sanders' last official day.
Grisham will be Trump's third press secretary since he took office. Sanders served in the role for just shy of two years, while Sean Spicer lasted roughly six months in the job before her.