Kellyanne Conway facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Kellyanne Conway
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Official portrait, 2017
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| Senior Counselor to the President | |
| In office January 20, 2017 – August 31, 2020 Serving with Steve Bannon (2017)
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| President | Donald Trump |
| Preceded by | John Podesta (as Counselor, 2015) |
| Succeeded by |
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| Born |
Kellyanne Elizabeth Fitzpatrick
January 20, 1967 Camden, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 4 |
| Education |
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| Signature |  |
Kellyanne Elizabeth Conway (born January 20, 1967) is an American political consultant and pollster. She worked as a Senior Counselor to the President for Donald Trump. This was during his first time as president, from 2017 to 2020.
Before this, she managed Trump's campaign in 2016. She was the first woman to lead a winning U.S. presidential campaign. Conway has also worked as a campaign manager and strategist for the Republican Party. She used to be the head of a company called Polling Company/WomanTrend.
Conway lived in Trump World Tower from 2001 to 2008. She did private polls for Trump in 2013 when he thought about running for governor of New York. In the 2016 Republican presidential primaries, Conway first supported Ted Cruz. She led a group that helped Cruz. After Cruz stopped his campaign, Trump hired Conway as a senior advisor. Later, she became his campaign manager. In December 2016, Trump announced she would be a counselor in his government.
After Trump became president, Conway was involved in some public discussions. She used the phrase "alternative facts" about the number of people at Trump's inauguration. She also spoke about a "Bowling Green massacre" that did not happen. Members of Congress asked for an investigation when she seemed to support products from the president's daughter, Ivanka Trump. In 2019, a U.S. government office suggested she be fired. They said she broke rules about government employees and politics.
In August 2020, Conway left her job in the government. This happened after some public disagreements with her teenage daughter, Claudia. In 2022, Conway started working for Fox News. She often appears on shows like Hannity and The Five. In 2024, she began working for the Club for Growth. She helps them speak up for TikTok and its owner, ByteDance. In July 2024, Fox News said Conway would host a new show. It will be on their streaming service, Fox Nation, called Here's The Deal with Kellyanne Conway.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Kellyanne Elizabeth Fitzpatrick was born on January 20, 1967. She grew up in Atco, New Jersey, in Waterford Township, New Jersey. Her parents, Diane and John Fitzpatrick, divorced when she was three. Her mother, grandmother, and two aunts raised her. Her family is Catholic.
She finished St. Joseph High School in 1985. She was the top student in her class. In high school, she sang in the choir, played field hockey, and was a cheerleader.
Conway says working on a blueberry farm for eight summers taught her to work hard. She said, "The faster you went, the more money you'd make." At 16, she won the New Jersey Blueberry Princess pageant. At 20, she won a blueberry packing contest. She believes she learned a lot about life and business from that farm.
Conway went to Trinity College, Washington, D.C.. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science. She graduated with high honors. She also earned a law degree from George Washington University Law School in 1992. After law school, she worked for a judge.
Starting Her Career
Conway started in the polling business while in law school. She worked for a Republican polling company. After graduating, she chose to work for Luntz Research Companies. In 1995, she started her own company, The Polling Company. Her company studied what consumers, especially women, wanted. Some of her clients were Vaseline, American Express, and Hasbro.
In the 1990s, Conway became a well-known political commentator. She appeared on TV shows like Politically Incorrect. She worked for several important political figures. These included Representative Jack Kemp and Vice President Mike Pence. She was also a senior advisor for Newt Gingrich's presidential campaign in 2012.
Her company also did surveys for groups like American Express and Major League Baseball. Conway often appeared on news channels like ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox News. She won an award for correctly guessing the outcome of the 2004 election.
Conway became known for explaining the Trump administration's views on TV. Some people called her a "Trump whisperer." In February 2017, the MSNBC show Morning Joe decided not to have her as a guest anymore.
2016 Presidential Election
Supporting Ted Cruz
Kellyanne Conway had known Donald Trump for many years. She lived in a building he owned from 2001 to 2008. But in the 2016 Republican presidential primary, she first supported Ted Cruz. She led a group that helped Cruz. This group was mostly funded by businessman Robert Mercer. Conway's group said that Donald Trump was "extreme" and "not a conservative." She also criticized Trump's use of eminent domain. This is when the government takes private land for public use.
In June 2016, Cruz stopped his campaign. Conway then left the group.
Working for Trump's Campaign
On July 1, 2016, Trump announced he hired Conway. She would be a senior advisor for his presidential campaign. She was expected to help Trump connect better with women voters. On August 19, Trump made Conway his campaign manager. She held this job for 10 weeks, until the election on November 8. She was the first woman to successfully manage a U.S. presidential campaign. Since October 2016, Conway has been made fun of on Saturday Night Live. Actress Kate McKinnon plays her.
During the Transition to Presidency
After the election, on November 10, 2016, Conway tweeted that Trump offered her a job in the White House. She said she could have "any job I want." On November 24, Conway tweeted about people who didn't want Mitt Romney to be Secretary of State. She said she was just sharing what she told Trump and Vice President-elect Mike Pence in private.
Some news reports said Trump was angry with Conway for her comments. But Trump later said those reports were wrong. He said he was only disappointed by her comments about Romney.
In December, Conway attended a forum about the 2016 election. She was with other Trump campaign aides. Clinton campaign aides were also there. The discussion became heated. When a Clinton aide said more Americans voted for Hillary Clinton, Conway replied, "Hey, guys, we won. You don't have to respond. He was the better candidate. That's why he won."
In early December, Conway said that Hillary Clinton supporters were sending her threats. So, Trump assigned Secret Service agents to protect her. Conway stopped her Secret Service protection in September 2017. She said the threats had decreased.
White House Advisor Role
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Discussing "Alternative Facts"
Two days after Trump became president, Conway was on a TV show called Meet the Press. She used the phrase "alternative facts". She said this to defend what White House press secretary Sean Spicer said. Spicer had spoken about the size of the crowd at the inauguration. Some people thought Conway's phrase sounded like "Newspeak" from the book 1984. After her interview, sales of 1984 went up a lot. Many people thought this was because of Conway's phrase.
The "Bowling Green Massacre"
On February 2, 2017, Conway was on a TV show called Hardball with Chris Matthews. She talked about President Trump's immigration ban. She mentioned an event she called the "Bowling Green massacre". This event never happened. Later, Conway said she meant to say "Bowling Green terrorists." She was referring to two Iraqi refugees arrested in Bowling Green, Kentucky. They had admitted to helping attacks on American soldiers in Iraq. But they were never accused of planning attacks in the United States.
Some people in the news said Conway should not be invited on TV shows anymore. They said her statements were often incorrect. CNN decided not to have her as a guest that day. They said there were "serious questions about her credibility."
Rules for Government Employees
The Hatch Act of 1939 is a law for federal government employees. It says they cannot use their public job to promote political beliefs. If they break this law, they can lose their job.
Promoting Commercial Products
On February 9, 2017, Conway was on Fox & Friends. She talked about the store Nordstrom stopping sales of Ivanka Trump's products. Conway said, "Go buy Ivanka's stuff is what I would tell you." She added, "It's a wonderful line. I own some of it. I'm going to give a free commercial here: Go buy it today, everybody."
Soon after, two groups said Conway broke federal ethics laws. These laws stop government workers from using their job to support products. Public Citizen and Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington asked for an investigation. They said her comments were a clear violation.
Harvard law professor Laurence Tribe said it was a clear example of breaking the rule. He said she was using her job to help Ivanka and the president's family make money. Sean Spicer, the White House Press Secretary, said Conway had been "counseled" about the issue. This means she was given advice or a warning. Conway later tweeted that Trump liked "counselor" more than "counseled."
Members of Congress from both parties criticized Conway. Republican Jason Chaffetz called her comments "clearly over the line." Democrat Elijah Cummings called them "jaw-dropping." Both asked for an investigation.
Later Activities
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In September 2021, President Biden asked Conway to leave her position. She was on the board of visitors for the United States Air Force Academy. Biden sent similar letters to other people Trump had appointed. Conway refused to resign. She said her removal was wrong and made the position political. Conway had no past connection to the Air Force. Trump had appointed her to the board in his last weeks as president.
In 2022, Conway joined Fox News as a contributor. She often appears on shows like Hannity, The Five, and Outnumbered. She also helped with Fox's coverage of the 2022 Midterm Election. In July 2024, Fox News announced she would host a weekly show. It will be on Fox Nation, called Here's The Deal with Kellyanne Conway.
In April 2022, Conway joined the board of the America First Policy Institute. In November 2022, she spoke to a committee investigating the January 6 attack. In March 2023, she spoke with prosecutors about a criminal investigation into Trump.
Since 2024, Conway has been paid by the Club for Growth. She works to support the social media app TikTok and its owner, ByteDance. She has spoken against efforts to limit or force the sale of TikTok.
Conway gave a speech at the 2024 Republican National Convention.
Political Beliefs
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Conway does not call herself a feminist "in a classical sense." She says she believes the term is linked to being "anti-male." Instead, she calls herself an "individual feminist."
Personal Life
Conway was married to George Conway. He is a lawyer. They have four children: twins Claudia and George IV, Charlotte, and Vanessa. Before Trump became president, they lived in Alpine, New Jersey. Before her marriage, Conway dated Senator Fred Thompson.
George Conway has criticized Trump. In December 2019, he helped start the Lincoln Project. This group worked against Trump's re-election. In March 2019, Trump called George Conway a "stone cold LOSER & husband from hell." Kellyanne defended Trump. She said her husband was "not a psychiatrist" and Trump didn't need to respond to his comments.
Conway's daughter, Claudia, became known on TikTok in 2020. She was 15 and posted anti-Trump messages. In July 2020, she said her parents' marriage had "failed." In August 2020, Claudia Conway said she was seeking emancipation. This means becoming legally independent from her parents. At 16, Claudia Conway was a contestant on American Idol.
In September 2019, Conway's cousin, Giovanna Coia, married John Pence. He is Vice President Mike Pence's nephew. Giovanna worked as a White House press assistant. John worked for the Donald Trump 2020 presidential campaign.
Conway was one of the few White House staff members to have Secret Service protection. This was because of various threats. She chose "Blueberry" as her Secret Service code name. This was because of her childhood memories of blueberries. She picked them and won pageants.
On August 23, 2020, Conway announced she was leaving her job. She said she wanted to "spend more time with her family." Her husband, George, also announced he was taking time off from the Lincoln Project and Twitter.
In March 2023, George and Kellyanne announced they were divorcing. They had been married for 22 years.
Awards
| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref. |
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| 2019 | 39th Golden Raspberry Awards | Worst Supporting Actress | Fahrenheit 11/9 | Won |
Books
In 2005, Conway wrote a book with another pollster, Celinda Lake. It was called What Women Really Want.
In 2022, Conway wrote her own book. It was called Here's the Deal: A Memoir.
See also
In Spanish: Kellyanne Conway para niños
