Kellyanne Conway says Trump believes 'you have to consider all sides' with abuse allegations
White House counselor Kellyanne Conway on Sunday defended President Trump's tweet — apparently posted in response to domestic abuse accusations made against two White House staffers, Rob Porter and David Sorensen — lamenting that "Peoples [sic] lives are being shattered and destroyed by a mere allegation." As critics noted, Trump consistently defends men accused of abuse or assault on women but displays no such concern for due process in other cases.
Speaking on ABC's This Week, Conway said Trump believes "you have to consider all sides" in abuse allegations, including "incidents that relate to him as well." Later in the interview, she declared Trump "a man who shows great compassion and understanding for women on many different issues," repeatedly pivoting to the president's record on women's employment rates.
On CNN's State of the Union, Conway said she personally has "no reason not to believe the women" accusing Porter and Sorensen. Pressed by host Jake Tapper on Trump's view, Conway said the "president is very disturbed by what he sees," and his positive comments about Porter were exclusively about his "work product." The tweet, she claimed, is not about Porter specifically or even the #MeToo movement. Then, again, she pivoted to women's employment.
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.
Watch an excerpt of that conversation below. Bonnie Kristian
-
Ski town strikers fight rising cost of livingThe Explainer Telluride is the latest ski resort experiencing an instructor strike
-
‘Space is one of the few areas of bipartisan agreement in Washington’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
How robust is the rule of law in the US?In the Spotlight John Roberts says the Constitution is ‘unshaken,’ but tensions loom at the Supreme Court
-
Hegseth moves to demote Sen. Kelly over videospeed read Retired Navy fighter pilot Mark Kelly appeared in a video reminding military service members that they can ‘refuse illegal orders’
-
Trump says US ‘in charge’ of Venezuela after Maduro grabSpeed Read The American president claims the US will ‘run’ Venezuela for an unspecified amount of time, contradicting a statement from Secretary of State Marco Rubio
-
Bari Weiss’ ‘60 Minutes’ scandal is about more than one reportIN THE SPOTLIGHT By blocking an approved segment on a controversial prison holding US deportees in El Salvador, the editor-in-chief of CBS News has become the main story
-
CBS pulls ‘60 Minutes’ report on Trump deporteesSpeed Read An investigation into the deportations of Venezuelan migrants to El Salvador’s notorious prison was scrapped
-
Trump administration posts sliver of Epstein filesSpeed Read Many of the Justice Department documents were heavily redacted, though new photos of both Donald Trump and Bill Clinton emerged
-
Trump HHS moves to end care for trans youthSpeed Read The administration is making sweeping proposals that would eliminate gender-affirming care for Americans under age 18
-
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
