Donald Trump's new campaign manager bad-mouthed Trump on CNN
On Wednesday, Donald Trump decided to shake up his top campaign staff when he hired Breitbart News CEO Stephen Bannon as his campaign CEO and elevated adviser Kellyanne Conway to campaign manager. But the woman now tasked with running the Trump operation — supposedly trusted with such duties because she appreciates Trump's authentic if controversial style, something ousted campaign chair Paul Manafort was reportedly tasked with moderating — wasn't always so pro-Trump.
In a series of cable news appearances flagged by Media Matters from before her promotion this week, Conway is shown repeatedly disagreeing with Trump on issues ranging from his business acumen to his tax returns. John Whitehouse of Media Matters shared the clips back-to-back on Twitter, and they paint quite the stark picture:
In his statement announcing the staffing changes Wednesday, Trump said he'd known Conway for many years, so it's entirely possible he's familiar with his new campaign manager's many public criticisms of him. (Conway has also been a long-time employee of Trump's running mate Indiana Gov. Mike Pence.) Rolling Stone notes that Conway is "often enlisted to help conservative Republican men tailor their message to win over women voters," but whether Trump will heed her advice and win over a demographic he's trailing greatly with remains to be seen. After all, the dismissed Manafort once molded ousted Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych into a more palatable figure — and even he was unable to make Trump into the moderate general election candidate many in the Republican Party hoped for.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Kimberly Alters is the news editor at TheWeek.com. She is a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.
-
2025’s most notable new albumsThe Week Recommends These were some of the finest releases of the past year
-
Trump aims to take down ‘global mothership’ of climate scienceIN THE SPOTLIGHT By moving to dismantle Colorado’s National Center for Atmospheric Research, the White House says it is targeting ‘climate alarmism’
-
Oscars jump to YouTube after decades at ABCSpeed Read The awards show will be broadcast worldwide on YouTube starting in 2029
-
Jack Smith tells House of ‘proof’ of Trump’s crimesSpeed Read President Donald Trump ‘engaged in a criminal scheme to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election,’ hoarded classified documents and ‘repeatedly tried to obstruct justice’
-
House GOP revolt forces vote on ACA subsidiesSpeed Read The new health care bill would lower some costs but not extend expiring Affordable Care Act subsidies
-
Hegseth rejects release of full boat strike footageSpeed Read There are calls to release video of the military killing two survivors of a Sept. 2 missile strike on an alleged drug trafficking boat
-
Trump vows naval blockade of most Venezuelan oilSpeed Read The announcement further escalates pressure on President Nicolás Maduro
-
Kushner drops Trump hotel project in SerbiaSpeed Read Affinity Partners pulled out of a deal to finance a Trump-branded development in Belgrade
-
Senate votes down ACA subsidies, GOP alternativeSpeed Read The Senate rejected the extension of Affordable Care Act tax credits, guaranteeing a steep rise in health care costs for millions of Americans
-
Abrego García freed from jail on judge’s orderSpeed Read The wrongfully deported man has been released from an ICE detention center
-
Indiana Senate rejects Trump’s gerrymander pushSpeed Read The proposed gerrymander would have likely flipped the state’s two Democratic-held US House seats
