Claudia Conway—the daughter of Trump administration presidential counselor Kellyanne Conway and attorney George Conway—fact-checked her own mother after Kellyanne praised Ohio Republican Senator J.D. Vance, who was just named former President Donald Trump's 2024 running mate.
Writing on X, formerly Twitter, Kellyanne Conway wrote the following about Vance:
"Senator [Vance] represents a new generation of America First warriors. His life experiences and vision equip him to fight for the forgotten men, women and children alongside President Trump. Let’s win in 2024!"
You can see her post below.
And shortly after, Claudia Conway reminded her mother—and her followers—of Vance's actual views, sharing her mom's post along with this pointed message:
"Thought he called Trump ‘Hitler’? He did. Thought he said he opposes marriage equality and abortions for [rape] and incest? ..Oh right he did."
You can see her post below.
Claudia Conway is not wrong.
Vance continues to face accusations of hypocrisy for having once been a major Trump critic, a fact Trump seemed willing to overlook as he named Vance his running mate. In fact, Vance once told his former Yale Law School roommate Josh McLaurin that Trump could be "America's Hitler."
Shortly after Vance was announced as Trump's running mate, McLaurin described Vance as "a sellout, but the bigger deal is he’s angry and vindictive. The perfect fit for Trump’s revenge." This is despite the fact that at one point Vance referred to Trump as "cultural heroin," asserting that Trump "cannot fix what ails them, and one day they’ll realize it."
Additionally, Vance once labeled himself as a “Never Trump guy” and referred to Trump as an “idiot” in tweets that have since been deleted. During an August 2016 NPR interview, he mentioned that he might consider voting for Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton if he believed Trump had a chance of winning.
Vance also has a record of anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric and opposition to reproductive rights across the nation.
He defended Republicans who have attacked Democratic politicians' support for LGBTQ+ rights, falsely alleging LGBTQ+ people are building relationships, trust, and emotional connections with children so they can manipulate, exploit and abuse them.
Notably, Vance expressed strong disagreement with protecting LGBTQ+ people from discrimination, criticized the Equality Act by calling its nondiscrimination provisions “an assault,” and argued against allowing victims of rape and incest to access abortion care.
As a Senator, Vance also voted against a bill to safeguard access to IVF, introduced legislation to criminalize doctors providing medically necessary healthcare to transgender youth, and pledged to support a national abortion ban.
Given these facts, many appreciated Claudia Conway's post.
Others criticized her mother more directly.
Claudia Conway's response to her mother is significant given her mother's high-profile position as a former Trump administration member and purveyor of "alternative facts."
After Conway served as Trump's campaign manager, Trump appointed Conway as Counselor to the President shortly after winning the 2016 general election, referring to her in a statement as “a trusted adviser and strategist who played a crucial role in my victory.”
Not long after Trump took office, Conway gained notoriety for claiming White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer “gave alternative facts” while lying about the attendance numbers at Trump’s inauguration.
Conway ultimately fell out with Trump when he lashed out at her after she revealed in her memoir she personally told him he lost the 2020 presidential election to then-candidate Joe Biden, undermining his false claims of massive voter fraud.
