Trump's inner circle is blaming GOP strategist Kellyanne Conway for the bad press around Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH).
In interviews with 20 Trump campaign staffers, allies, confidants, and advisers, with the Bulwark, more than a dozen people, unprompted, blamed Conway for the negative press coverage of Vance. They believe Conway is leaking damaging information to the press, portraying Trumpworld as questioning the pick of Vance. The rumors have reached, and are apparently believed by, Vance and his biggest ally in Trump's camp, Donald Trump Jr.
“He’s p****d off about it. He knows it’s her,” a Donald Trump Jr. confidant told the outlet.
A confidant of former President Donald Trump said attacks against Vance from within the ranks of Trumpworld were "100% from Kellyanne."
Conway was a leading figure in advocating against Vance as a running mate for the former president. She preferred Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) or Gov. Doug Burgum (R-ND), reportedly saying at a Fox News meeting before the pick that the former president would only "pick Vance over my dead body."
Republican strategist Ryan Girdusky, citing the article, characterized Conway's moves as a "smear effort" against Vance.
Conway denied the allegations in an interview with the Bulwark, deriding the dozen sources as "gossip girls" and jealous "ankle biters."
“When it comes to concerned people questioning the vetting or selection of JD Vance, the calls are coming in, not going out,” she said. “I’m not calling them and saying this is bad. People are asking me. They’re not just asking me. They’re asking lots of people.”
The accusations are a departure from an unusually stable Trump campaign, which the report credits to the friendship of the leading triumvirate — Trump campaign senior advisers Susie Wiles and Chris LaCivita and strategist Tony Fabrizio. The former president's 2016 and 2020 campaigns were plagued by leadership infighting and frequent leaks.
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The insiders speaking with the outlet described the current period as more stressful than the Republican primary, the former president's legal troubles, and even the assassination attempt.
The Trump campaign was put on the defensive for the first time since the June 27 debate after President Joe Biden dropped out of the race and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as the presumptive Democratic nominee. She has since narrowed the polling gap with the former president.
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