While Donald Trump is usually the one receiving the most criticism in the White House, some of his top aides often feel the brunt of the backlash. After nearly two months serving as the presidential counsel, Kellyanne Conway has decided to speak.
Conway speaks out
When it was revealed that then campaign manager Paul Manafort had financial ties to Russia, Donald Trump was forced to reveal him of his duties. In his place, Trump added Republican pollster Kellyanne Conway to fill the role. In the months that followed, Conway would become one of the most visible faces to represent the campaign, routinely clashing with cable news and Sunday talk show hosts.
While Trump and company appeared pleased with the job Conway was doing, members of the mainstream media made sure to hold her feet to the fire when need be, with liberal social media users targeting her ad nauseam. These issues were discussed during an interview on the March 12 edition of "Media Buzz" on Fox News.
.@KellyannePolls responds to "haters" who rip her looks & character, says she's busy with job & 4 kids #Mediabuzz https://t.co/fcWSKQLllb
— #MediaBuzz (@MediaBuzzFNC) March 12, 2017
Joining host Fox News host Howard Kurtz was Presidential Counsel Kellyanne Conway. Kurtz brought up a recent article in the New York Times that accused many news outlets of unfairly attacking Conway, citing possible sexism as the reason.
Conway said she was "heartened" by the article, and noted that she often tunes out the negative and positive reaction from the "haters" as way to feel more "in balance."
Conway on criticism she receives: I'm not in the White House "to read about myself" https://t.co/NvMK7gdSpy pic.twitter.com/dTew0jfQXv
— The Hill (@thehill) March 12, 2017
"I've turned off a lot of it," Kellyanne Conway said, before adding, "If I don't read most of the praise and I don't read most of the criticism, like literally most of it, it keeps you in balance." Continuing, Conway went on to said that her job is to "serve" Donald Trump, before explaining, "I'm not there to read about myself." Not stopping there, Conway was questioned on how the media has handled the president.
In response, she hit back at the "know-it-alls" in the press, claiming that have been too "negative" on the current commander in chief.
More @KellyannePolls: Trump's tweets not a distraction, she's never seen such name-calling against a prez #Mediabuzz https://t.co/9QFR8RuQF8
— #MediaBuzz (@MediaBuzzFNC) March 12, 2017
Moving forward
Kellyanne Conway's appearance on Fox News appears to be starting a new trend for the former campaign manager.
Last month it was reported that the White House had banned Conway from appearing on cable news shows after a series of troubling errors, though Donald Trump and the administration appeared to push back at the allegations once the news was made public. In an apparent attempt to minimize the damage, Conway has been relegated to appearing only on Fox News and conservative media outlets to avoid the pressure of a more national and centrist confrontation.