First lady’s chief of staff and former WH press secretary resigns over violent protests

President Donald Trump’s inciting and refusal to condemn the violence is causing increased discussion among his aides about resigning. While there are only 14 days left in Trump’s administration — and many aides’ final days will come before January 20 — many are disgusted by the President’s behavior and no longer believe they can serve him. Whether more join Grisham in resigning remains to be seen, but the level of frustration inside the White House is leading to a growing sense that Trump will be more isolated than ever in his final days in office.

Grisham eventually clashed with Trump’s newly appointed chief of staff Mark Meadows, disagreeing on multiple issues, from communications strategies for the President to staffing decisions, and creating a fissure between the press office and Meadows, according to the official.

In April last year, Grisham was replaced with Kayleigh McEnany as press secretary and returned to the first lady’s office in an amplified role, becoming her chief of staff, a position she held until her Wednesday departure. Grisham’s decision to resign two weeks before the Trumps make their exit from the White House was precipitated by several months of consternation and struggle, said another senior White House official familiar with her thinking.

The official described Grisham as having a “very close” relationship with the first lady, though Wednesday’s resignation was not the first time Grisham had considered leaving her post. The official said Grisham faced a barrage of challenges and what the source described as a “whisper campaign” and “roadblocks” launched by adversaries in the West Wing. Grisham had also in recent months expressed a desire to live closer to family in the Midwest.

This story has been updated with a statement from Grisham.