Donald Trump is looking to bring in Kellyanne Conway to shake up his faltering campaign, according to a new report.
The outspoken adviser is seen as a trusted confidante by both the former president and, importantly, by Melania Trump who is “pushing” for Conway to return because she sees her as “a familiar face amid a sea of relative newcomers,” says Tara Palmeri in the online magazine, Puck.
Lara Trump, co-chair of the Republican National Committee and wife of Trump’s son, Eric, is also said to be pushing for Conway to be brought on board to reignite campaign stalwarts taken by surprise by Kamala Harris’ fast start after Joe Biden’s sudden departure.
ADVERTISEMENT
One adviser told Puck that Trump listens to powerful women, more than men. “He listens to Hope Hicks. He listens to Brooke Rollins,” they tell Puck. “Ironically, he likes powerful women. If you’re a sharp woman, he will listen to you. Hope and these people could tell him the hardest shit. He may not have done anything, but at least he listens.”
The report suggests the idea of bringing Conway back has gathered force since an August 2 post of a photo of them together in New Jersey.
“The genesis of this was when Kellyanne tweeted out the picture with Trump. That was the moment when Kellyanne and Trump were saying: ‘This is where I’m going,’” a Trump adviser is quoted as saying.
Puck says there’s a 50-50 split in Trump’s campaign over whether she should return in a similar role to the one she had in 2016.
Conway has made moves to heal any problems with JD Vance, Trump’s running mate, after making it clear during the veepstakes that she would have preferred Marco Rubio. Palmeri says the two have talked over the phone to “clear the air” and Conway recently tweeted “Brilliant” to Vance’s plane stunt when he landed at the same airport on Wednesday as Harris and her new number two, Tim Walz.
Puck also points out that she is registered as a foreign agent for an oligarch from Ukraine who pays her $50,000-a-month, which could raise eyebrows among her detractors that she’s benefiting from her relationship with Trump.
