Kellyanne Conway and her daughter Claudia take their seats at the Women's Empowerment Panel, at the White House in Washington
AP/Shutterstock
President Trump might have the luxury of employing a number of his children and in-laws, but not everyone on his team has been able to pass down their political beliefs in their families.
The latest child of someone from the Trump camp to make headlines isn’t Ivanka—rather, it’s 15-year-old Claudia Conway, whose mother, Kellyanne Conway, just announced that she will be stepping down from her role as Trump’s counselor. Across her multiple social media accounts, each boasting tens of thousands of followers, Claudia has been broadcasting her disdain for her mother’s affiliation with Trump.
Over the weekend, after learning that her mother would be speaking at the Republican National Convention this week, Claudia took to Twitter to air out her anger. “I’m (devastated) that my mother is actually speaking at the RNC,” she wrote. “like DEVASTATED beyond compare.”
Then, Claudia mentioned that she was hoping to get freedom from her family altogether: “i’m officially pushing for emancipation. buckle up because this is probably going to be public one way or another, unfortunately. welcome to my life.”
In a series of tweets, Claudia expressed her feelings about her family and their clashing political beliefs: “i have been using social media as an outlet to express my passions, individuality, and to shed light on some hardships. i have been vulnerable for a reason…my mother’s job ruined my life to begin with. heartbreaking that she continues to go down that path after years of watching her children suffer. selfish. it’s all about money and fame, ladies and gentlemen.”
Within hours of Claudia’s tweets, Kellyanne announced that she was leaving her position at the White House. Her husband and Claudia’s father, George Conway, will also be stepping down from his role at the Lincoln Project, a conservative Super PAC.
“I will be transitioning from the White House at the end of this month,” Kellyanne wrote in a statement. “We disagree about plenty but we are united on what matters most: the kids. Our four children are teens and ‘tweens starting a new academic year, in middle school and high school, remotely from home for at least a few months. As millions of parents nationwide know, kids ‘doing school from home’ requires a level of attention and vigilance that is as unusual as these times.”
She added: “I am deeply grateful to the President for this honor, and to the First Lady, the Vice President and Mrs. Pence, my colleagues in the White House and the Administration, and the countless people who supported me and my work. As many convention speakers will demonstrate this week, President Trump’s leadership has had a measurable, positive impact on the peace and prosperity of the nation, and on millions of Americans who feel forgotten no more.”
Whether Kellyanne’s departure from the White House is connected to Claudia’s tweets is still up for debate, and has been a huge topic of conversation online. After the news broke, Claudia tweeted: “y’all love to twist everything. i’m not getting emancipated because of my mom’s job.. it is because of years of childhood trauma and abuse.”
Ever since Claudia became known for posting anti-Trump TikToks to over 670,000 followers, she’s been at the forefront of conversations surrounding children’s involvement in politics. Responses to her tweets have spurred ruthless rebuttals from conservatives about whether or not she’s telling the truth.
The overarching argument against Claudia is that kids should stay out of politics (unless, of course, they’re devout Republicans). We saw a nearly identical pattern when David Hogg, founder of the gun control advocacy group Never Again MSD, and his classmates like Emma Gonzalez spoke out following the 2018 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School that left 17 people dead.
Proof of trauma shouldn’t be necessary for teenagers to be taken seriously, but even in obvious cases like these, children who identify with left-leaning politics have been historically belittled by conservative adults, especially those in power. Claudia is just the latest example.
In her four years working for President Trump, Kellyanne Conway has gotten away with plenty of actions more insidious and just flat-out stupid than what her daughter says online. Teenagers will have to live with the aftermath of today’s most dangerous politicians, and to disregard their very valid concerns is selfish. Plenty of adults in power have been acting like children; when they fail, it’s only natural for the young people to speak up in their place.
