A 15-year-old walks onto The Trump Show
Claudia Conway is the most intriguing character in The Trump Show.
On Monday night, the 15year-old daughter of lawyer George and Kellyanne, former senior adviser to the U.S. president, posted TikTok comments that challenged Trump’s official hunky-dory health status.
In one comment that raised eyebrows, Claudia noted, “guys lmao he’s not doing ‘better.’ ”
This came after Trump was discharged from the Walter Reed hospital and flown back to the White House aboard Marine One. He then climbed the stairs to the Truman balcony, where his first instinct was to remove his mask despite having COVID-19.
It was like watching someone with Ebola stagger into a Bed Bath & Beyond and bleed over the Egyptian sheets display for a stupid photo-op.
Trump even did a second take to make sure he got the shot just right. Priorities, people.
But young Claudia was having none of it. As she noted in another comment: “he is so ridiculous. apparently he is doing badly lol and they are doing what they can to stabilize him.”
That a teenager might have more accurate medical insights about the leader of the free world than were forthcoming this weekend after the tapdancing evasion from Trump’s doctors only raised more eyebrows. What does she know? As one Twitter user wrote: “I can’t take it… Claudia Conway is the supreme whistleblower of our time.”
As a general rule, I try not to write about the children of newsmakers, especially those who are underage. But in recent weeks, Claudia has been making headlines of her own. She has savaged Trump, her mother’s boss until recently, calling him a “f---ing idiot.” She has publicly demanded to be “emancipated” from her conservative family. She has accused her mother of caring only about fame and fortune. She has alleged her dad is in a bad way now because his marriage is all but over.
She hasn’t just pulled back the household curtains — she has flattened walls with a wrecking ball.
In response, both George and Kellyanne recently announced they’d be stepping away from professional duties, including his work with the anti-Trump Lincoln Project and her job in the White House. The goal was to put family first and, presumably, bring Claudia back into the fold.
But as a parent, what’s terrifying is this does not seem to be working.
In addition to casting doubt on Trump’s health, Claudia also posted a TikTok video on Monday night in which she’s surreptitiously recording her mother.
The two are in bedroom quarantine, both infected with the coronavirus, which Kellyanne contracted after attending a Supreme Court nomination event at the White House last month. All you really need to know about Trump’s leadership during this pandemic is the White House is now one of the world’s biggest hot zones.
Claudia’s 12-second video, since deleted, showcased a troubled relationship between mother and daughter. Claudia has alleged Kellyanne lied about being infected. Kellyanne has denied this and, in a previous TikTok video, can be heard demanding her daughter clarify.
That’s the context for Monday’s sad exchange: Claudia: “What?” Kellyanne: “You’ve caused so much disruption.” Claudia: “Disruption?” Kellyanne: “You’ve lied about your f---ing mother, about COVID!” Claudia: “No, Mom.” Kellyanne: “ABOUT COVID!” Claudia: “It’s how I interpreted it.” Kellyanne: “Interpreted it?” The video ends after Kellyanne suddenly notices her daughter is recording — “You’re taping me again?” — and reaches for the cellphone. Fade to black.
Honestly, it made me wince. Lots of 15-year-olds question authority and rebel against their parents. Most do not do so as the world watches. And there was something about Claudia’s demeanour — the way she smirked at the camera and egged on her mother — that made me want to punch Trump.
That’s right. I’m blaming him for the dysfunctional Conway family. Of all the rotten things Trump has inflicted upon the world — and I could fill an encyclopedia with alphabetized entries — the worst is the way he has wilfully divided people in pursuit of his own narcissistic and treacherous ambitions.
After the last 10 days, I have no idea how anyone with a functioning brain can support this charlatan. A New York Times investigation on his taxes proved he’s a financial fraud. The first debate with Joe Biden proved he’s a horrible human. Then he gets the coronavirus, proving he’s incompetent and reckless.
I love how the Trump cult is trying to frame his recovery this week as proof of invincibility. Hey, lunatics, this guy received experimental therapeutics. He is supervised by a team of experts not available to any other patient in the world. He has his own Medevac at the ready and an entire hospital wing waiting.
The truth is, if Trump was a regular citizen in the same condition, he’d now be in an ICU or casket.
But I’m done engaging with MAGA cultists who continue to fill my inbox with blind delusions. After last week, I’m out. If they don’t want to see the light, fair enough. Have a great life. I mean that.
But I’m done with your darkness.
Claudia Conway isn’t just the most intriguing character in The Trump Show in the present.
She is also a cautionary tale for the future.
She is living proof of the damage this show will leave long after the star is gone.