Kellyanne Conway and Donald Trump’s transition team on Monday shot down reports that Trump was upset with Conway, his former campaign manager, for publicly airing her concerns about potential for the President-elect to nominate Mitt Romney to be secretary of state.
Conway told the New York Times that Trump was not angered by her decision to air concerns that Trump’s loyal supporters do not want the President-elect to select Romney.
“When he’s upset with someone, they know it,” she said.
Trump said in a statement to the New York Times that he gave Conway permission to air her grievances about Romney.
“Kellyanne came to me and asked whether or not she could go public with her thoughts on the matter. I encouraged her to do so. Most importantly she fully acknowledged there is only one person that makes the decision. She has always been a tremendous asset and that will continue,” Trump said in a statement sent to the Times by spokeswoman Hope Hicks.
Conway also said that Trump knew how she felt before she made comments about Romney on television.
“The President-elect would never need to turn on a TV station to find out how I feel about anything or anyone — he would already know it,” she told the New York Times. “It would be a mistake to think that I communicate with him through the TV.”
The comments from Conway and Trump follow a report aired on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” on Monday morning from co-host Mika Brzezinski, citing anonymous sources on the transition team, that Trump “was furious at Kellyanne Conway’s comments on Sunday.” Conway responded, telling “Morning Joe” Monday morning that the report was “sexist.”
Politico also reported Monday night that Conway’s attacks on Romney hurt her relationship with Trump and his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, citing unnamed sources on the Trump transition team.
