Kellyanne Conway has a 'unique' relationship with her left-wing daughter

Republican political advisor Kellyanne Conway praised her daughter as an "indepdenent spirit" and " an incredibly successful entreprenuer in every sense of the word," when asked by TMZ what she thought of her controversial gig as a model for a men's magazine. Read on for more about this very strange, very complicated mother-daughter relationship.

The question came months after Claudia Conway, the daughter of Donald Trump’s campaign manager and counselor Kellyanne, came back to the internet after a brief social media hiatus with some major news...

Image: claudiamconway / Instagram

Just six months after her 18th birthday, the daughter of Republican royalty launched a subscription page on P l a y b o y .com — an online offshoot of the now out-of-print men’s “lifestyle” magazine. In May 2023, it announced she was their “newest bunny.”

Image: P l a y b o y / Instagram

Kellyanne also emphasized her daughter was doing well outside of the modeling. "She lives in New York City and she has a fellowship and she's taking a gap year," Kellyanne told TMZ this autum, saying she wasn't sure if she was even modeling anymore. "She's amazing."

The perpetually rebellious Claudia defended her decision to pose scantily clad for paying subscribers. “When I was 15-16, I was exploited by the media, preyed upon, and was forced into portraying myself as something I wasn’t. My body was taken from me,” she tweeted.

Image: claudiamconway / Instagram

“I am aiming to reclaim my womanhood and femininity in a way that is truly mine. I am putting myself out there in a way that is MY OWN and no one else’s. I have full control of my body and my voice,” she continued. When journalist Chris Brunet criticized her for becoming a “circus sideshow” on Twitter, she said: “Who owns the content, making money off of it, and has full control over what is out there now? Me”

Image: claudiamconway / Instagram

In a statement issued to media including Newsweek, Claudia's new platform said that she "is one of many women who have found freedom, autonomy, and major financial success on our creator platform. We welcome her and support her choices."

This isn’t the first time that Claudia Conway has been in the spotlight. First of all, she’s long been an outspoken critic of the Republican brand of politics that her mom helped create.

Image: claudiamconway / Instagram

As of May 2023, the pinned tweet at the top of Claudia's Twitter profile reads: “Pro-life should mean that American children are safe from AR-15s in their classrooms, that the 319,000 children in foster care are cared for, that LGBT+ youth are given the resources they need, that kids aren’t kept in CAGES at the border, that BIPOC are protected, etc.”

Image: claudiamconway / Instagram

Although Kellyanne will go down in history as the first woman to have run a successful U.S. presidential campaign, she was also an extremely controversial figure around the time of Trump’s election.

For many, Kellyanne may be most remembered for using the phrase “alternative facts” to defend claims about the size of the crowd that turned up for the Trump inauguration. Besides running his campaign, she was the Counselor to Donald Trump from 2017 to 2020.

The family climate wasn’t confusing just because of Claudia. In fact, the woman who dedicated her life to Trump was married to one of the former president's fiercest critics. Republican George Conway regularly slammed the president on his Twitter and on news programs. The couple announced their divorce in 2023.

The President of the United States even waded into the family drama. In 2019, Trump tweeted: "George Conway, often referred to as Mr. Kellyanne Conway by those who know him, is VERY jealous of his wife's success & angry that I, with her help, didn't give him the job he so desperately wanted.”

In August 2020, Claudia, then 15, said that her mom’s job “ruined” her life and she was “officially pushing for emancipation… buckle up because this is probably going to be public one way or another, unfortunately,” she tweeted.

Image: claudiamconway / TikTok

The following day, amid the public and no doubt private fights with the most outspoken of her four children, the Republican strategist announced she was leaving her post in the White House.

Kellyanne said she was stepping down, amid the pandemic, to be with her family. Her husband, George, also said he was taking a break from his political activism.

Then, when Claudia was 16, a photo of her without top was reportedly posted on her mom’s Twitter account before it was deleted. Although Claudia suggested it was an accident or a hack, she also said: “my mom deserves to go to jail.” Claudia later said the two had made up.

Image: claudiamconway/Instagram

Claudia, with a large TikTok following, had previously posted videos of Kellyanne appearing to verbally abuse her, according to Vice. She later told Bustle it was mainly verbal and emotional abuse.

Image: claudiamconway / TikTok

After rising to TikTok fame for the feud with her mom, Claudia appeared on ‘American Idol’ where she showed off her singing talent. It didn’t work out though, and her journey ended quickly.

She told Bustle that she knew she was gay since she was 11. She also calls herself pansexual, though she said she “definitely has a preference for women." Claudia said her family is generally accepting but is frustrated by some of her mom’s comments on LGBTQ issues.

Image: claudiamconway / Instagram

Despite all the drama, in a 2022 interview with Bustle, Claudia gave a happy update about her relationship with her mom, saying: “Our relationship is great now.”

Image: claudiamconway / Instagram

As for Kellyanne, since she quit the White House in 2020, she’s stayed close with Donald Trump and has publicly commented on his 2024 election bid. Page Six reports that Trump is trying to get her to join his campaign again.