It’s the latest personnel shuffle that has occurred since Mark Meadows joined as chief of staff in recent weeks and started to bring in his own people. And the shake-up occurs during perhaps the most turbulent moment of Donald Trump's presidency, as the coronavirus has infiltrated the country, claiming thousands of lives and forcing the economy to largely shut down.

White House officials had grown frustrated with the job of the communications team, especially during coronavirus, and press responsibilities for the pandemic crisis were handed over to the vice president’s office. Jared Kushner, Trump’s senior adviser and son-in-law, has also complained in recent months that the communications shop under Grisham was not aggressive — that it only reacted instead of taking a proactive approach, according to two people close to the White House.

Kayleigh McEnany (left) interviews Education Secretary Betsy DeVos at CPAC in 2017. | Alex Wong/Getty Images

And since March, Trump has essentially acted as his own press secretary, spending an hour or two each day taking questions and delivering monologues from the White House briefing room podium — a spot typically reserved for the press secretary. Grisham did not appear at any of the president’s coronavirus briefings, and was not involved in the president’s Oval Office address on the pandemic.

Grisham was absent from the White House for several weeks recently as she was forced to self-quarantine out of an abundance of caution after being exposed to members of Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro’s team who tested positive for the novel coronavirus.

Filling out the reshuffled White House communications team will be Ben Williamson, Meadows' former chief of staff and communications director, who will be Trump's senior communications adviser. Farah also has a Meadows connection, previously serving as the communications director for the conservative House Freedom Caucus when Meadows, a former North Carolina lawmaker, was the caucus's chairman.

With former White House communications director Hope Hicks back in the administration, there will be less pressure on the trio of newcomers, said one Republican close to the White House — since, among her many other duties, Hicks still directly advises the president on much of his communications and media strategy. Questions were raised about Grisham’s status after Hicks rejoined the White House in February to work with Kushner.

The staffing changes to the press and communications office come as Meadows begins to settle into his new role in the West Wing and starts to make his mark on White House personnel. Meadows has already pushed out Jessica Ditto, deputy communications director, according to one of the people who relayed Kushner's frustration with Grisham's strategy.

“There hasn’t been any real communications shop,” said another outside Trump adviser. “Hopefully Meadows will fill that void quickly.”

The same two people who conveyed Kushner's frustration also confirmed Grisham didn’t know about the looming changes until they were first reported in the media last week.

Axios first reported there were discussions about replacing Grisham. “Sounds like more palace intrigue to me, but I’ve also been in quarantine. If true, how ironic that the press secretary would hear about being replaced in the press,” Grisham said at the time.

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Grisham is one of the longest serving members of the Trump White House. She started as a campaign aide in 2015, then joined former press secretary Sean Spicer’s team before moving to the East Wing as communications director and deputy chief of staff for the first lady. Fiercely loyal to Melania, Grisham was known to tangle with the press with her fiery statements.

“I am excited to welcome Stephanie back to the team in this new role,” the first lady said in a statement. “She has been a mainstay and true leader in the administration from even before Day 1, and I know she will excel as chief of staff."

The first lady’s former chief of staff, Lindsay Reynolds, resigned earlier this week to spend more time with her family, according to the White House.

"I appreciate all that Lindsay Reynolds did over the past three years, and wish her well in her future endeavors," Melania added.

“I continue to be honored to serve both the president and first lady in the administration,” said Grisham. “ My replacements will be announced in the coming days and I will stay in the West Wing to help with a smooth transition for as long as needed.”

Anita Kumar contributed to this report.